Unity Painted In Snow
by Indigo Siren
Summary: Twelve people - two cabins - one winter vacation. What could possibly go wrong? Join our familiar friends as they spend two weeks together out in rural Hokkaido. Hearts will be shared, bonds will be tested and fights are pretty much guaranteed. It's an adventure that digs deep into the souls of all involved. ['T' Rating for now. May raise to 'M' later]
1. Arrivals

**Unity Painted In Snow**

 **By. Indigo Siren**

 _Disclaimer: Bloody Roar © Konami. Any character or other references from the game belongs to the original creators and not the author. Though, any original characters and plot situations within this story do belong to the author and must not be used without permission. This is a non-profit fan story and is written for entertainment purposes only. All rights reserved._

 **A/N: It's been a long time, but finally, a brand new Bloody Roar multi-part story. It is actually a combination of numerous story ideas – probably about 3 or 4 that never came to fruition. It's going to star quite a large cast of characters throughout, and hopefully I will be able to explore them all quite thoroughly as I take them on this story journey. This is a standalone story, so doesn't relate to any of my previous works.**

 **There will also be pairings included in the story. Some are indicated from the offset, while there may be other formations as the story progresses. Some you may like, some you might not, but these are the ones I will be following through with so let's try to keep the complaints on that down to a minimum please.**

 **So, let's get on with the show! Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 1: Arrivals**

Hokkaido had some of the most beautiful winter scenery that could be found anywhere in the world.

Pure white snow layered the ground as far as the eye could see, blanketing the passing landscapes like a thick dusting of icing sugar. Gentle winter sunlight danced across the vast alabaster sea of snow, giving it a proud, eye-catching twinkle. Much of the faraway expanses of wilderness were left untouched, contrasting prominently with the areas closest to suburban residences, which bared the distinct marks of footfalls and sledge tracks like subtle strokes of calligraphy. Together, it was a flawless cohesion of nature and everyday life.

"It's so wonderful. Everything looks like it's covered in white diamonds..."

Yugo Ogami glanced over at his companion, the ever sentimental Alice Nonomura, who admired their passing surroundings with a tranquil expression. He might not have used the same words to describe the scenery, but he did share in her enchanted opinion. He'd always loved snow as a child – in those rare instances when snow actually settled on the ground. The south-east portions of Japan mainly had mild winters compared to the rest of the country, making snowfall quite a treat... or a hindrance depending on the point of view.

Viewing the dazzling white scenery made it very easy to reminisce on the few precious, wintery memories from his childhood. He distinctly remembered the sound of fresh snow crunching under foot, getting to ride his sled down steep snowy hills – which usually involved him getting shouted at by fellow pedestrians, and toasty evenings watching the snowflakes cling to the windows as gentle flurries came down at night.

He didn't miss the numb fingers or the assault of snowballs to face; right now he was quite happy to watch the winter scenes pass him by in the warmth of their rented Jeep. Despite his lessened enjoyment of wintertime as he got older, he did have to smile when they passed a lone snowman in the middle of a park, grinning with its pebble mouth under a huge carrot nose and button eyes. Nothing said winter quite like a snowman.

Every now and then he would move his hand across to the heater, which blasted its majestic warmth around the car. Winter was a very tiring season for him, and at times, just too cold for him to bear. Wolves were winter faring creatures; they didn't hibernate, instead they adapted to the cold temperatures with the thickening of their fur. Despite a more animalistic part of him itching to frolic in the snow, snaffling around for fresh meat in the undergrowth, the other part of him just wanted to stay safely tucked up in bed and wait for the winter to thaw into spring.

He wondered why he'd even agreed to make this journey to Hokkaido, leaving cosy old Tokyo behind for a fortnight, especially in January. When he thought of vacations, he dreamed of lazy days on golden beaches, browning under the sun with a beer in one hand and an ice cream in the other. He'd never even contemplated a winter break, surrounding himself in layers of snow and ice. It hadn't sounded all that appealing.

The trip had all come about with a surprise visit from his long time friend, Alan Gado, who'd dropped by the W.O.C.'s head office, proposing this not-so little excursion. A much needed vacation for all of them, he'd said in that diplomatic way that had earned him such prestige in the United Nations. Yugo hadn't really known what to think – let alone say – about a winter excursion up to Hokkaido. True, he'd never been, and had heard so many good things about the northern island, but it was far from his first thought of a holidaying destination. In fact, he hadn't thought about taking a vacation in any capacity. Despite running a successful NGO, he wasn't always abundant in the money department.

Over a couple of mugs of hot coffee, Gado had told him about an old mercenary, a man by the name of Yoshio Kinoshita, who had been good friends with both himself and Yugo's father, Yuji, during their early days as mercenaries in the field. He'd been a much older man, a mentor figure, who'd been around to guide them through their first missions. He had retired midway during Gado's mercenary career due to persistent health problems, the result of a number of serious injuries received during his time on the battlefield. But his efforts in the field had not been without reward. He had amassed his fortunes undertaking many dangerous operations; so when it finally came time to hang up his gun, he'd retired to a quiet spot in Hokkaido and purchased a few acres of land, where he'd built a number of holiday cabins to capitalise on the budding tourist economy in the area. Gado had explained that Kinoshita had offered them the use of two of his cabins for a fortnight as a favour to an old friend, which also extended out to Yugo in place of Yuji.

Yugo had been surprised by such a generous offer, and when he'd asked what Gado had done to earn it, he'd completely brushed over the reason, merely saying that Kinoshita owed him for bailing him out not too long ago; nothing else was divulged on that front. It had been left up to Yugo's imagination for the most part to guess what he could have possibly done for his former comrade, which left his mind to drift into questionable territory.

As conversation went on, it was explained that the cabins were located in a nice quiet area, surrounded by woodland and mountains. The kind of place, as Gado had sold it him, where you could commune with nature and relax without too much disruption. Though, they were still within a short drive from a town, so they would never be without provisions. They could do as much or as little as they wanted, as the cabins were fitted out with all the mod-cons, so if they didn't feel like venturing out to the all the potential visitor hotspots, they could kick back and done nothing in comfort as well.

The two cabins could take twelve people between them, so they could invite friends along to enjoy the free break.

He might have been dubious at first, but Yugo eventually gave in, deciding that he could probably do with kicking back from work for a couple of weeks. Gado had already secured six places for him and a select group, and told Yugo he could fill up the last places with whomever he wanted. Of course, the wolf's first choice was always going to be his girlfriend, Alice, who was thrilled at the idea of a winter break, and had suggested they bring their siblings along while their school was still on vacation. There was little need to convince Uriko Nonomura, who was almost bouncing off the walls in excitement, wondering if her suitcase was going to big enough for everything she wanted to take. Kenji Ogami, on the other hand, was a little more hesitant. He worried about the W.O.C. being without its three executive operatives, as well as wanting to keep on top of his reading assignments for school. Yugo had told him to chill out, which might have also included some not so eloquent words about him being 'too much of a dork sometimes' and that Alice had already undertaken the task of selecting some of their brightest workers to temporarily take the reins while they were away. With that sorted, Kenji had no excuse not to join them.

It had been suggested that the last two places go to Uriko's parents, who were long overdue a vacation, but it clashed with her father's trip away to Osaka for a work seminar. It was not unusual for him to get roped into such things in place of his other colleagues, and he was just too polite to say no when asked. With her husband called away, Mitsuko had politely declined, not wanting to be a third wheel for her daughters, but had said that they would collect Uriko themselves on the last day, as it would work out nicely for them to make a short excursion to see old friends who'd moved to Hokkaido a short while back.

That still left two places still up for grabs.

It had been Nagi Kirishima's lucky day, having appeared in the office at just the right time to help out with decorations for the W.O.C.'s Christmas party. Yugo had taken her aside and told her about the trip, seeing if it was something that she might like to go on. She figured she'd be able to get time off from her main job as a mechanic – as she was due some holiday time anyway – and asked if she could bring a companion with her. Having run out of ideas for other people to ask, Yugo had agreed.

And so, that's how they'd ended up travelling the scenic roads of Hokkaido at the start of the New Year. Kenji and Uriko were occupying the backseat of the Jeep, the former engrossed in one of his thick paperback books on some subject a little too complicated for Yugo to grasp, and the latter listening to music with her 'Cat Ear' headphones while playing a game on a handheld console. Usually Uriko was loud and irritating on such long trips, but full of drive thru fast food and thoroughly distracted by this year's Christmas presents, she was as quiet as a mouse – as ironic as that was. The only sounds filling the Jeep were the purr of the engine and a CD playing a variety of music over the stereo.

Yugo had wondered who Gado had, himself, invited along for the trip. Without a doubt Jenny would be there. Where would the lion Zoanthrope be without his main squeeze, after all? He also considered Shina was a high probability, but whomever else, he wasn't sure. Maybe he should have just asked in the first place.

 _Ah well, much too late to be worrying about that now!_ Though, it also came to mind that he probably should have asked Nagi as well about who she'd decided to bring along.

Pushing all thoughts aside, he focused on the road ahead. It had been quite the task to figure one isolated highway from another. According to their map, they'd just skirted around the edge of the town that was closest to where the cabins were located, so they didn't have much further to drive to reach their destination. They'd been given very specific instructions passed on by Gado, which Alice was reciting every so often so they didn't get lost. It certainly didn't seem to be one of the easiest places to get to, not with all the winding roads and multiple junctions that weren't even signposted. These would have been the kind of roads Yugo would enjoy in the warmer seasons on his motorbike if he didn't have a particular destination to reach. He'd love to feel a summer breeze against his face as he powered around all the twists and turns that were laid out ahead of him. In this situation, it was a bit of a palaver with having to be extremely careful on every icy bend, though the Jeep seemed to be able to handle what they threw at it.

"Take the next turning on the left," Alice instructed, glancing between her directions and the road before her. He did as commanded and the Jeep turned onto a narrower road, which began to ascend up into the rocky hills. Snow-dusted trees flanked tightly around either side of the car as the density of the woodland area amassed in quick succession. The Jeep grunted as it changed gears, but powered on uninhibited by the seasonal impediments.

With the town far behind them, they were very much in more isolated rural countryside. Through gaps in the winter bare trees, they could see vast pastures of land in the distance. There was so much farmland to behold, quite a difference from their usual scenery in the big city. It was strange for them to see long lines of paddy fields, many covered in thick layers of snow.

Alice pulled back the cover of the closed sunroof and stared up through the slightly frosted glass at the white tree tops racing by, settling back into her seat. "It's really quite something. You don't see anything like this back home. It's a whole other world, don't you think?"

Yugo smiled. "I think I'm starting to understand why Gado thought it was a good vacation spot. Seems like it might be the kind of place you can just leave everything you know behind and just chill out. But at least it isn't too far away from civilisation. You saw that town not too far back? At least we're not going to be too isolated."

Alice nodded, listening attentively. "It'll be great to eat in some really traditional places. But I don't mind cooking when nobody wants to go out." A small frown thoughtfully marred her brow. "Though, I hope we packed enough."

"I'm pretty sure we brought too much! But you never know. It depends how hungry we get."

Uriko suddenly peeked around her elder sister's seat, having temporarily put down her game. She pulled one of her headphone away, so she could hear beyond the pop music beating in her ear. "How long until we get there?"

Alice glanced back. "It shouldn't be too long now." She caught Yugo's eye, hoping for some reassurance on the matter. "Should it?"

"No more than ten minutes," he guessed. "It's only a straight drive up from now on, right?"

Alice checked her directions again. "Yes, pretty much."

"Great!" Uriko chirped as she settled back into her seat. "My legs are getting sleepy!" Popping her headphone back down, she went back to playing her game.

"I wonder if everyone is there already," Alice pondered.

"We're right on schedule," Yugo said, checking the dashboard clock: it was quarter to one. They had agreed on a one o'clock arrival.

"I hope we're not the last ones there..."

"So... like being last in a race?" A big grin slowly crossed his face.

"Oh no, it's nothing like that!" She had to chuckle at his goofy expression.

"If you think about it, even if we are the last ones there, it means we won't have to wait out in the cold for anyone else. And we're not late, so, nobody can complain anyway!"

"True, I just don't like to think I've kept anyone waiting."

He shook his head, the grin settling into a soft smile. It was always like Alice to worry about everyone else, especially over such little things. It was one of the reasons why he loved her so much. And he was hoping that at some point during this whole vacation he could show her just how much she means to him.

 _Keep your thoughts on the road, my friend. Save the dirty stuff for later._

With the Jeep gobbling up the distance in no time at all, they soon found themselves at the turning, which broke off onto a solid mud track. Their vehicle bobbed about a little as it trundled over the rough ground, quickly covering the short distance up to a huge oak gate imbedded between two large stone walls. There was a large, two-posted sign erected to the right – a little weathered, but still clearly reading 'Kinoshita Cabins' with the slogan: 'The Heart of Hokkaido'.

"We made it!" Uriko whooped from the backseat, almost startling the other occupants in the Jeep. Her music and game were long since forgotten.

"So, I guess we've just got to open the gate?" Yugo deduced, as there wasn't any other instructions posted about.

"Kenji, can you pass me my coat?" Alice called back. Kenji set aside his book, leaning over the back of his seat to grab her fleece-lined garment from where it rested atop their luggage and passed it over to her. She thanked him as she took it, slipping it on as she opened the car door. Her boots made a satisfying crunch underfoot, and surprisingly sunk up to her ankles. Tossing the door closed, she practically had to bounce with each step to move towards the gate where she found reprieve in the imprinted channels where other car tires had flatten both snow and frosted earth.

Yugo hid a smile at her motions. "Always so rabbit-like." He looked back in the rear-view mirror to see Kenji slightly smirk at his comment. Uriko rolled her eyes and poked him in the arm.

Outside, Alice unlatched the gate and with a heave, pushed the heavy barrier wide open, holding it aside with her back so Yugo could drive the Jeep through. He drove passed saluting her, and stopped a little further up the track to wait for her as she closed and latched the gate. The snow wasn't quite so deep inside, already pulverised by many footfalls and tire tracks, so it wasn't quite such a task to get back to the Jeep.

She hopped back in, quickly closing the door behind her. She rubbed her hands together furiously to fight off the biting chill. "BRR! So cold!"

Uriko glanced out the window at their wooded surroundings. It had been a long time since she'd seen such a heavily forested area. She was so used to seeing a skyline of tall buildings. It was a nice change to take in clusters of tall trees, even if most of them were bare and gnarly looking. But there was the odd one with winter blooms, their little pink buds peeking out from under a frosting of snow.

"I can't wait to see what the cabins are like!" She said with a squeak of excitement.

As they drove a little further up the track, they noticed a small hut situated to their left, which was clearly signposted as a reception building. Upon hearing their Jeep approach, a tiny grey-haired woman, decked out in the thickest, longest coat, pottered out in her furry boots and waved a summoning hand at them. Yugo slowed the car to a stop beside her, rolling down Alice's window. Through almost half inch thick lenses, the woman squinted between them. "You have a reservation?" She asked with a slightly croaky voice.

"We're part of Alan Gado's group," Yugo told her.

"Ah, yes," she gruffly acknowledged, "he is already here and waiting. You're in cabins seven and eight. Please follow the signs." And with that, the woman dug her hands into her pockets and retreated back into the warmth of her hut, hardly wanting to spend another second making idle chit-chat.

Alice rolled the window back up. "That... wasn't Kinoshita was it?" She questioned dubiously.

Yugo snorted, grinning from ear to ear. "No, Kinoshita is a guy. Besides, she didn't much look like a retired mercenary."

"You never know," Kenji said from the back, nose already back in his book.

"I bet she has some super secret killer moves!" Uriko joked, making karate chop motions for effect.

Leaving the little woman and her hut behind, they drove up the ascending track to an interaction with two signs. They indicated that cabins eleven to twenty were directly up the hill, while cabins one to ten was down a sharp right turn. Yugo cranked the wheel around and turned onto the frozen mud path, which caused the car to vibrate and thrum with each rock and bump they hit. The road was fenced off by meagre wiring posted along the way, the only protection from the deep drop on the other side. It was definitely a place not to drive recklessly.

It wasn't long before they came to another intersection, this time indicating cabins one to six were down a hill drive and seven to ten were straight on.

"Almost there," Yugo said, glad to be on the final approach. He was starting to get a little bit tired of driving, especially when it was so cold.

Thankfully, it wasn't much further before the first of the two cabins came into sight, followed by the second, which was only a short distance further along. They were built from gorgeous golden-brown timbers, constructed predominantly in a triangular shape. The dark roofing, layered with snow, perfectly offset the lightly stained wood walls. The large windows glistened with crystal clarity in the winter sunlight, with dark ornate wood shutters flanking each side. Both cabins had a sturdy side canopy erected on concrete struts, with spaces enough for two cars to part in each. At the closest cabin, a sleek, black sports car was already occupying one of the spaces. A tall, muscular figure with spiky pale-blonde hair was offloading a horde of bags from its trunk. They easily identified the person as Gado. Not far from him, sat on a bench near the roadside, was his close companion, Jenny Burtory. The sultry woman gestured a greeting as their Jeep came close. Yugo gave a honk in response, which drew Gado's attention and he temporarily abandoned his task to welcome his companions' arrival.

"Well, at least we aren't the last here," Alice said, somewhat relieved when she only found the two in attendance.

Yugo pulled in and parked the Jeep next to Gado's car. He'd barely turned off the engine before he was out and crushing the older man in hug. They slapped each others' backs, as was usual their usual vigorous greeting.

"Good to see you made it safely," Gado welcomed, parting the hug so he could move over to draw Alice in for a much gentler embrace.

"Those were some crazy roads," Yugo said. "It was a good thing the Jeep could handle the iciest parts, otherwise we'd have been in real trouble!"

"It did seem like most of the roads were built in zigzag patterns," Alice input, parting the hug. "But the scenery along the way was breathtaking."

"Indeed," Gado agreed. He outstretched his hand to an approaching Kenji, who accepted it with a firm handshake. "Well, look at you, kiddo. You're growing up fast. You'll be taller than Yugo before you know it!"

The wolf Zoanthrope scoffed. "Fat chance!"

"It's good to see you, Gado," Kenji said, ignoring his brother.

"It's all so different," Alice said, relaying her delight at their surroundings. "It's just so wonderful to step away from all the urban chaos and embrace nature when it's so beautiful."

"It's really nice, but I hope we can get a signal out here," Uriko said, lifting her phone up skyward. "I promised to keep in touch with Mama." She began to wander around, in hopes of getting at least one precious bar of signal.

Jenny strolled over to join the group, her long fur-trimmed coat swaying with seductiveness with each step. Yugo found himself a little surprised by her glamorous winter attire, more so because he'd never seen her wear so many clothes before.

"Oh, Jenny!" Alice gushed, approaching her with a sparkle of envy in her eye. "Your coat is gorgeous!"

"It's couture," she informed her proudly.

Uriko had just wandered back in their direction when she heard Jenny's response. "Cou-ture..." The teenager slowly lingered on each syllable thoughtfully, wondering what the word actually meant. Though, if anything, it sounded expensive.

"Who else is coming?" Yugo asked Gado, who'd gone back to lugging suitcases.

"Shina should be along soon. She rang not too long ago to reconfirm directions. She should be on schedule, despite having to make a couple of detours for the others."

"Others...?" The sound of another horn indicated that his question would soon be answered by itself. A large SUV quickly pulled up across the way by the side of the road. The windows were tinted dark which made it hard to make out who was inside.

"Ah, speak of the devil," Jenny said, watching as Shina jumped out of the driver's side.

The French woman almost looked peculiar with a thick fleece hat pulled down low atop her head, making her blonde spikes point downward in a messy cluster. "Jeez, Dad! You couldn't choose a colder place!"

"I did warn you," he shouted over without looking up, forgoing the greetings, which was usually the case between them. Despite a strong father-daughter bond, they kept any familial affection to the absolute minimum.

"I thought, 'Okay, a bit chilly!'. But I didn't realise we were shipping out to the Arctic!"

"Tut, tut!" Jenny voice smoothly. "I thought a girl of your mercenary experience would have barely batted an eyelid at such environments? I didn't think you'd be so ill prepared!"

Shina gave her an empty glare. "Oh look, I found the source of the cold. How about closing your legs so the rest of us can thaw out..."

Gado gritted his teeth, sighing to himself. Why was it that he never prepared himself for when these two came face to face? It was always a bad mix to have them together. Jenny knew how to push his daughter's buttons, and Shina was like a verbal chainsaw, always going for the gullet. He stopped what he was doing, prepared to say something to stop the situation escalating further, but to his surprise, a new voice took care of it for him.

"Jeanne, please. Can we not forego the arguing for another time? We have only just arrived." Stepping out from the front passenger side of the SUV was none other than the Prince of Zoanthropes himself, Cronos Orma, decked out in the thickest winter attire known to man. He was, after all, from a country that didn't experience such weather at all.

Yugo was surprised to see him, having not even considered him an option. But the Prince was, after all, Shina's childhood friend. He would have certainly been top of the list if Gado had asked her to choose someone to bring along as well.

"His highness is right, Jeanne," another voice said, revealed seconds later to belong to Jin Long, who slowly climbed out from the backseat from behind Shina.

"I wish you guys would quit calling me Jeanne..." She grumbled.

Alice came scampering over to their car, bowing to Cronos. "It's so wonderful to see you again. We didn't realise you were coming!"

He smiled. "It was all very last minute." He took her mitten-clad hand and kissed it delicately. "And it is a pleasure to see you again as well."

"You... don't seem to have a bodyguard?" She noted, finding it strange for him not to be flanked by hordes of security, particularly the colossal Ganesha.

" _I'm_ his bodyguard," Shina said, moving around the car. Her expression and tone were very serious.

Alice gaped in response. "Wha-"

"It is a _long_ story," Cronos told her. "I will tell you later when we are settled in."

The back door next to Alice suddenly opened, startling her, having not realised someone else was still in the car. The figure who stepped out surprised her above all others in the arriving group, a feeling shared by Yugo and their siblings. From under a hood, silver hair brushed pale cheeks as they moved. When the individual turned their head, stark blue eyes met those of the rabbit Zoanthrope with calm recognition.

"Xion..." Alice's breath hitched as she spoke his name. The last they'd heard he'd been transferred to a psychiatric unit after he'd recovering from severe injuries in hospital. His wounding had come as a result of his involvement in the incident with the dragon almost a year earlier. He had been freed from the Unborn's control, but the damage left behind was just another addition to the deep psychological wounds that had been amassing in the last few years. Despite the things he'd done while being manipulated by unnatural forces, Alice was still glad to see him. She had worried greatly about him and his fragile psyche.

"It's a tranquil place," he merely said, glancing around them. "Or, it was..." He cast a brief look towards Shina before dismissing her again.

The leopard Zoanthrope huffed. "Don't you start giving me grief, or you'll be walking home."

Alice touched Xion's arm softly. "It's really good to see you. Are you well?"

He seemed a little surprised by her concern, but offered her a small smile. "Yes. For the first time in a long time."

Yugo glanced between the two from afar. He bristled somewhat as he watched the exchange between the two, but shook off any negativity that brewed in his gut, knowing that this was Alice all over; always worried for others, readily there to care and offer comfort. This was merely another example of what a great woman she was. But it was as he was staring at Xion that he remembered something important, the thought hitting his brain like a freight train.

"Aww, shit," he muttered, which Kenji's sharp ears caught. His brother sidled over with quiet steps.

"What's wrong?"

Yugo had covered his faces with his hands. "I just remembered who else I invited."

Kenji opened his mouth, and then suddenly closed it, remembering as well. He just made a silent 'oh'.

Gado had heard their exchange and had stopped what he was doing.

"Who did you invite?" The older man asked.

"Guess."

Though he didn't have to, as with perfect timing, a small red hatchback appeared, pulling over onto the snowy grass not too far behind the SUV. Yugo slowly pulled his hands away from his face, an awkward expression quickly turning to one of surprise as his eyes drifted from Nagi in the car's driving seat to her companion next to her. Shared looks between the guests seemed to indicate that nearly everyone was taken aback by the unexpected guest.

Nagi stepped out of the car, giving a salute over towards Yugo and Gado, followed from the other side by ShenLong, who ignored the disbelieving stares at leaned against the car.

"Quite the lawn party," the clone tiger said. "Mind if we join?" His eyes shifted to rest on Long, whose expression had become somewhat stiff. They may have gotten over the worst hurdles of their animosity towards each other, but they were still very far from any sort of viable kinship.

Yugo put aside his awkwardness and strode across to greet Nagi properly, doing his utmost to ignore ShenLong. There had been word going around that the tiger and spurious had been associating, even insinuations of something more, but he hadn't really thought much into it, really only because she'd never actually spoken about it. But seeing them together now had cemented that there was clearly something going on. But that was the least of his worries; right now, he was trying to get to her before she noticed Xion, in the hopes he could somehow verbally soften the blow of his presence.

Of course, his plan was quickly kyboshed, when she caught sight of Xion just as he turned fully around to take in her arrival. Her 'hello' was left sitting on her lips as she locked eyes with him passed Yugo's shoulder. She instantly froze on the spot.

Uriko was about to shout out an ear-splitting welcome, though was stopped by a firm hand on her shoulder. She turned to glance at a very serious Kenji, who just shook his head, giving her a meaningful glance that now was probably not the time for exuberant greetings. He could tell that things were about to turn sour very quickly. And he didn't envy Yugo in the last for being caught in the middle of this one.

Nagi's brown eyes were dark and unreadable. Yugo wanted to say something but quickly lost the words, instead, he shifted uncomfortably, looking back to Alice for some sign of support. She just looked equally awkward about the whole thing. They'd both been a part of that difficult conversation in Yugo's office, when they'd called Nagi in one evening not long after the dragon incident. They didn't know how she would react to being told that Xion was still alive. It had been Nagi, after all, who'd stabbed him through the chest while in her 'Spurious' form, taking out her vengeance on him for her altered condition. Surprisingly, her reaction to the news had been calm, even if her emotions were conflicted. On one hand, she'd been glad that she hadn't actually killed him, not wanting that blood lingering on her conscience, but on the other, she was upset because the man who'd changed her life and who'd murdered and maimed many others had undeservingly survived. Yugo had regretfully reassured her that his being transferred to a secure psychiatric unit and it would probably be the last she'd have to see of him. Clearly, he'd been very wrong.

"What's _he_ doing here?" She said; her voice was even though clearly displeased.

"Well, obviously the same as us," ShenLong interjected before anyone else, hardly concerned about the likes of Xion. He was completely indifferent to the man's very existence. Casually he went around the back of the car to open the trunk, wanting to start the unloading process, but paused when he saw Nagi staring hard at him. "What?"

"Don't bother." She said sternly. "I'm not staying if he's here." She went to open the driver's door again, though Yugo quickly stopped her.

"Come on. Don't be like that," he pleaded, earning him the hard stare instead. With a sigh, he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Look, I didn't know he was going to be here either. Hell, I didn't know you were inviting ShenLong."

Nagi huffed, hand hesitating on the door handle. She lowered her voice, ignoring the man who'd ignited her ire, who just simply stood giving her a blank stare across the distance. "You know damn well what he did to me and all the shit he did to other people... How can you possibly think I'd want to spend two weeks in the middle of nowhere breathing the same air as him?"

ShenLong had moved around the side of the car, putting his back against the door so she couldn't even an attempt to open it. "Just ignore him. It doesn't have to be a big deal!"

Nagi gave her partner the deathliest glare, as if he'd just slapped her across the face, though ShenLong remained unphased. She pulled the handle determinedly, but he had indeed firmly blocked her ability to open the door.

The tiger Zoanthrope leant forward, voice low and firm. "Listen here, woman. If you think we're just going to turn around and go home after all the travelling we just did to get here, you've got another thing coming." His eyes had narrowed somewhat. "I'm not exactly happy about some people who're here," he said, making eyes towards Long, who simply folded his arms impassively. "But I'm not going to kick up a hissy fit over it. And you know what? We don't _have_ to be around them." She looked away from him, silently seething, though he drew her eyes to him again when he took hold of her chin, turning her face back to him. "Forget he exists. He doesn't have to be anything more than a walking bad memory, right? Don't waste a vacation over him."

Nagi wanted to argue more, but she stopped when his thumb stroked her cheek tenderly. She let out a sigh, closing her eyes for a moment to focus on the circular motion he made on her skin. She tried to push all the negativity out of her, but couldn't quite completely quell the burning anger in the pit of her stomach. She'd promised herself that if she was ever put in this situation that she'd let a cooler head prevail and not let her fury take over; but then again, she'd also told herself to simply walk away if she came face to face with him, but in the case, that wasn't going to be possible. At the end of the day, she didn't want to lose out on her vacation because of one man. Finally calmed down enough to think more rationally, she turned her eyes on Yugo, who could only shrug apologetically.

Jenny, viewing events unfold from afar, leaned in towards Gado. "Just a prelude to the rest of the vacation, I'm afraid."

Gado groaned with annoyance to himself. She was probably right. He had to count backwards from ten to keep his composure. He prayed to whatever God was in the sky that they could all at least act like responsible adults for the rest of this vacation.

 _I think you're being too hopeful there, I'm afraid..._ a more rationale part of his brain informed him.

Having seemingly settled down, Nagi moved away from her two companions, stepping a few paces towards Xion before stopping, wanting to still keep plenty of distance between them. She stared at him, though he was unphased by her indignation, offering his own stare, though, unlike her own eyes, his were void of any emotion.

"I thought you were in an institution?" She sniped.

"Then your information is clearly outdated," he simply stated.

"He was deemed in a fit state for release," Long interposed calmly. "So he is staying with me now."

Nagi snapped her gaze onto the Chinese man. "What the hell are you giving him refuge for?"

"I don't have to justify my decision to you," he said smoothly. He wasn't purposefully being difficult, but he certainly felt that his choices needed no explanation to someone who probably didn't want to understand anyway.

She huffed. "You choose to keep some pretty poor company, Mr Jin."

"I could say the same for you." The unruffled barb was clearly aimed at ShenLong, who said nothing, for once keeping himself in check seeing as his young girlfriend was already riled enough for the both of them.

Nagi turned her back on both of them, focusing instead on Yugo, who was shifting between his feet awkwardly, almost jumping when he noticed that he was back under her scrutiny. He braced himself, just in case. "I'm not sharing a cabin with them," she said with the most absolute conviction.

Yugo gaped, and almost blew out a sigh of relief, expecting something more – not that he was letting his guard down. She was bound to tear into him at some point, even though it wasn't his fault. He eyed Gado across the way, who was quietly shaking his head, not really wanting to get involved.

"Really," Jenny voiced, "are we really going to be childish over such matters?"

"I suppose it wasn't really decided beforehand who was staying with who," Alice reasoned.

Gado sighed and stepped up, deciding to take some sort of command over the situation. "Fine, okay, let's just sort it out. Okay, Nagi and ShenLong can stay in the other cabin. Long and Xion can stay in this one," he thumbed towards the cabin they were next to, "with myself and Jenny, and-"

"Can I just say," Shina quickly butt in, "I'd rather not share with you and Jenny if there's a choice."

Her father almost wished he'd brought his gun. "Don't you start..."

"What! If there is one way I'm going to enjoy this vacation, it's going to be as far away from _her_ as possible."

"How unkind!" Jenny exclaimed with mock hurt.

"Fine," Gado relented, "you can stay in the other cabin as well. Cronos, too." The Prince just nodded, not troubled either way – which was probably the safest mindset to have given the situation.

"Aww, that means we have to split up!" Uriko moaned, giving sad eyes to Alice. Gado had to resist the urge to face-palm; he found some soothing comfort from Jenny as she sympathetically stroked his arm.

Alice just smiled softly, approaching her sister to take her hands between her own. "Hey, don't worry. We'll still see each other a lot anyway! It's not going to matter where we sleep. Let's just get unpacked and get this vacation started!" Uriko perked up, understanding her sister's practical reasoning.

"Okay!" The cat-girl agreed.

Gado was glad Alice was there, grateful for her calm demure. "Okay," he said softly. "How about Yugo and Alice stay with us, and Kenji and Uriko stay with the others. And that should be everyone covered. Are there anymore objections?" He said the last words as if challenging someone to even try to moan, but thankfully, nobody did. "Right, shall we get inside and unpack?"

* * *

With all the cars appropriately parked, the congregation separated into their groups of six, hauling their masses of luggage inside their luxury cabins.

A hint of pine hit their noses as they stepped inside their beautiful, spacious lodgings. There was not an excess of decorations, which made brought much more attention to intricacy of the architecture, complimented by the minimalism. Inside the main room was an open plan lounge and kitchen space.

The lounge was occupied by plush leather furniture – two couches and a single recliner stationed in front of a long oak coffee table. They were faced around a 50" television mounted high up on the wall above a traditional log fireplace. Surrounding this area was a huge, heavy paisley embroidered curtain mounted on a rail high in the ceiling, which could be pulled around to section off the lounge to make it a little more private and cosy. On the opposite side, the kitchen occupied a corner with a large island bar with numerous polished wood stools surrounding it. To one side was an L shape marble counter against the wall, where one could stand by the sink and stare out the window there and take in the woodland scenery. At the back of the room to the right was a set of stairs that led up to a balcony with an ornate wooden banister; a few paces back from it was a length of glass panelling, in which a door was inset opposite the stairs, leading into one of the bedrooms. Downstairs there were three doors at the back, the one in the middle was a bathroom, and the rooms either side were two more bedrooms.

In the second cabin, Uriko was already bounding about admiring the cabin with unabated glee while Kenji handled their luggage, pulling it to place at the back of the large room out of the way. Shina had put herself in charge of the luggage for herself and Cronos, despite the Prince protesting that he didn't want her doing all the hard work. Nagi and ShenLong followed up the rear, the former taking in the cabin with awe despite her grumpy state.

"It's better than my apartment," the Spurious murmured.

ShenLong shrugged. "It's alright." She rolled her eyes at his apathy.

Shina was the first to head up the stairs, taking interest in the room beyond the panelled glass. It was an impressive en-suite bedroom with a queen size bed, beautifully decorated in a red and gold theme. She found a long curtain could be pulled across the glass wall to shut out the view of the open room beyond. She was thoroughly impressed.

"So, what are the bedrooms like downstairs?" Shina called out with curiosity.

To answer her question, Uriko went to peak her head into the room furthest left. She was greeted by a cosy bedroom with the same red and gold theme, though this contained two twin beds – a little wider than the usual standard single, something she admired. Kenji checked in the middle room to find the bright white tiled bathroom with its deep, back-wall tub, free-standing shower and state of the art western toilet. He moved down to the room on the right, to reveal the last bedroom, another room with a queen bed and en-suite bathroom.

"I've found a twin room," Uriko called up.

"What about the other one?" Shina replied.

"It's got a queen size bed," Kenji confirmed.

Shina moved to stand at the top of the stairs, leaning on the corner banister. "Ah..." This was going to be awkward. "It's a queen bed upstairs as well." She pondered briefly, staring at Cronos, who seemed like he was just waiting for someone to tell him what to do. "Okay, I guess me and Cronos will take the room up here."

ShenLong smirked. "Now isn't that scandalous..."

Shina's cheeks flushed, though she quickly switched her emotions to irritation. "Get your head out of the gutter. Anyway, I think it's better if the kids take the twin room." She glanced at Cronos. "You don't mind, do you? I mean, it's just sharing a bed. You couldn't get much safer then with your bodyguard laid right next to you."

Cronos smiled, pushing aside any uncertainty involved with the situation. "I am fine with it, just as long as you feel comfortable with the arrangement?"

"Let's just call it catching up on all the sleepovers we missed as kids," she said with a wink, and then wished she'd not said something that could insinuate so much more. She ignored ShenLong, just in case he was making any weird faces at her.

"Well, I guess the other queen is ours," Nagi said, moving her luggage towards the right-hand room, shortly followed by ShenLong.

"Well, I'm choosing my bed first!" Uriko said, gallivanting into their shared room. Kenji didn't mind, not that he had a choice in the matter anyway.

* * *

A short while later in the first cabin, the group had finally finished unpacking. The bedrooms had been decided without fuss, with Gado and Jenny taking the top room, Yugo and Alice in the second queen, and Long and Xion in the twin. Now that they were settled in, they quickly began to relax into their cosy surroundings.

Alice boiled a kettle of water on the stove, lining up some cups to prepare tea and coffee, while the rest of the group were occupying the seats in the lounge, enjoying a moment of peace. Gado reclined on one of the couches, breezing through a thick, leather bound welcome guide that had been left out on the coffee table.

"Anything exciting?" Jenny asked, her fingers playing with the hair on the back of her beau's neck.

Gado flicked another laminated page, leaning into her touch. "It's mostly a guide to the cabin and how to operate certain things. It mentions that the central heating system is pre-set and can't be adjusted."

Yugo glanced up from checking his phone for messages. "Why's that?"

"Kinoshita did mention to me that people tended to just leave the heating on high all day, even when they weren't inside the cabins, which was very costly to his wallet. So he set up a new system, so that it will only turn on when it drops below a certain temperature and then maintains it up to a comfortable temperature before it switches itself off."

"That must save him a ton of money!"

"Exactly."

"How fancy," Jenny punctuated in such a way to sound both intrigued and disinterested at the same time. Yugo rolled his eyes at her, thinking it might be a good solution to their heating bills back at W.O.C. HQ.

"So, Gado," Alice said from over the kitchen island, "are you going to reveal how you managed to be gifted with these wonderful cabins for two weeks?"

He glanced back at her. "I'm afraid I'm swoon to secrecy. On my honour as a soldier, I cannot reveal the details."

"That's code for something shady," Yugo deduced playfully.

Gado snorted. "Would a man of my distinction get involved in such objectionable business?"

"Probably. We blew up the Tyron headquarters, didn't we?"

"Touché."

"I suppose it's in my best interests not to ask anything else," Alice said, curious about the matter, though not so curious to discover the answer if it was something less than legal.

Gado chuckled. "It's simply private business between old comrades. Nothing more." He eyed Yugo particularly as he said this, causing the younger man to crack a grin, as if he didn't quite believe him, but he said nothing more in response.

"Well, whatever you did, it was a very kind gift in return," Long spoke up, clearly grateful. Xion nodded in agreement but added nothing more.

"So," Jenny urged, "what else does the guide say?"

Gado turned another page. "There are instructions for operating the log fire; all the spare fire wood is at the side of the cabin. They have regular deliveries during the winter season, so we won't be without warmth."

"There is something cosy about a log fire," Jenny said, curling up closer to Gado, resting her head on his shoulder. "Don't you think?"

"It does rather set the mood," he said with a grin, brushing his lips against her temple.

Yugo quietly rolled his eyes at their somewhat gooey intimacy, wondering if it was too late to swap into the other cabin. He supposed it could have been worse; she could have been wearing fewer clothes to make the scene even more awkward. He still couldn't get over her being so covered up – this time in a roll neck jumper dress. He wasn't going to say it, but he liked it better when her cleavage wasn't one cough away from bursting free.

With the kettle boiled, Alice prepared the teas and coffees according to everyone's tastes and served them out on a tray. The aromatic scents drifting from the drinks gave the cabin a more homely feel.

"Does it say in the guide about places to go and such?" Alice asked, taking a sip of her own milky tea.

"Yes, in the back," Gado said, showing her as she sat down beside Yugo. She took it and set it on her lap to look it over. "Plenty of places to go, and a fair few recommended eateries as well. I don't think we'll be without things to do."

"Oh, we certainly won't," Jenny purred, stroking his arm.

"Well, don't make a mess while you're doing, uh, whatever you do," Yugo said, reading over Alice's shoulder, trying to ignore the canoodling. "The maid only comes three times a week." Gado knew what he was implying and narrowed his single eye on him, only to receive another grin in response.

"This is good tea, Alice," Long said, aside all the insinuation.

"Oh, I'm glad!"

"Yes, very nice," Xion agreed, and went back to quietly observing his company over sips from his own cup.

"Well, I think I should get a start on some food," Alice said, standing. "I'm sure everyone's hungry."

"Yes, that's a good idea," Gado piped up. "But don't think you have to undertake the task all by yourself. You did just make us drinks after all."

"I don't mind! Is everyone happy with a meaty hot pot? I saw a huge cooking pan in the cupboard so I can make plenty enough for everyone!"

"Ally makes the tastiest hot pot," Yugo vouched. "And we brought plenty of food to throw into it."

Unpredicted, the front door flew open and Uriko bounded in alone. "Knock, knock!" Her loud clamouring almost made the group jump.

Yugo frowned. "You could have _actually_ knocked."

Ignoring him, Uriko bounded over to her sister, who was now stood in the kitchen unbagging the food they'd brought with them. She swung her arms around her shoulders to give her one of her patent hugs. "What you doing?" She asked in a sing-song voice.

"I'm making a start on dinner."

Uriko's eye lit up. "Can I join you guys? I'll help, too!"

"Aren't the others cooking something up over in your cabin?" Yugo asked, almost hinting for her to push off.

She scowled over at him. "They've not even mentioned food!" She sighed dramatically. "I guess we're all left fending for ourselves..." Uriko made a sad face against her sister's shoulder.

"Of course you can join us," Alice said assuredly. "There will be plenty to go around."

"Yay!" Uriko ducked as Yugo threw at cushion at her head. Alice scolded him while her sister hid behind her, sticking out her tongue.

Xion shared a glance with Long, who somewhat smiled in relation to the friendly chaos going on. "You can expect more of this, I can assure you," he told the silver-haired man, who just shrugged apathetically.

Gado glanced over at the cat-girl exuberantly prancing around the kitchen and sunk further into his seat, glad that he didn't have to take any responsibility for the cooking that afternoon. He looked back to Jenny, who was still cuddled up against him.

"I get the feeling this is going to be one hell of a vacation," he murmured to her.

Jenny grinned, closing her eyes against his comfortable warmth. "Oh, I can guarantee it..."

* * *

 **A/N: And so it begins! How will these twelve get along on this two week adventure? Tune in again soon for another part of the vacation saga!**


	2. Blizzard

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.**

 **A/N: So after what seems like forever, I finally bring you a much shorter chapter 2!**

 **Chapter 2: Blizzard**

Alice was an exceptionally good cook. Her hotpot – both heart and aromatic – was received with many compliments as steaming bowls were quickly emptied, with one or more one going back for seconds. She had made a plentiful supply of the delicious meal, having enough left to pour into a large container for Uriko to take back for her own cabin mates.

With stomachs sated, everyone was crowded around the television – all apart from Yugo, who was consigned to doing the washing up after hitting Uriko with a spoon when she'd teased him about 'wolfing' down his food like a hungry dog.

Gado had gotten a log fire going in the hearth, almost a little too proud of his effort, as if he'd done something particularly masculine despite it being an achievable feat by anyone with the clear instructions on hand. Though thankfully, it didn't require them to rub two sticks together.

A TV quiz show had just finished, leading straight into a weather report, which to their surprise was warning of blizzard like conditions in their area that evening and overnight.

"Well, I guess that means we'll be battening down the hatches," Jenny said, nursing a fresh cup of tea between her hands.

"It doesn't matter, really," Alice considered. "I'm sure we're all pretty tired from all the travelling. A nice quiet night in will does all a world of good." She laid a hand on Uriko's head – the girl was sat cross-legged beside her, slightly vegetating after her meal. "I think you should get back to the others with that food before it gets cold."

The cat-girl stretched out her limbs and slowly stood. "Okay." She swung her arms around her sister, giving her a tired hug. "Thanks for the food, sis. You always make such yummy stuff!"

Alice patted her back affectionately. "It wasn't all me! You helped, too!"

"All I did was chopped carrots!" She giggled and parted the hug, heading over to the island countertop to collect the warm container of food. "Bye-bye!" She said as she headed for the door, glancing over at Yugo who was still over the sink, washing utensils. He eyed her, sensing her glancing his way, and had to smirk a little at her playfully blowing a raspberry.

With a bid of farewell, Uriko left, just as the snowfall started – softly at first, with only small snowflakes floating down, though within the hour, it was coming down heavily like a thick white curtain, almost obscuring everything a few metres away from the cabin.

Long and Xion had settled on one of the couches, completely engrossed in thick paperback books they'd brought with them, while Gado and Jenny had occupied the other, the latter cuddled up against her lover as they watched the television. Yugo had settled down in front of the fire after his duty of pot washing and was playing a game on his phone. Alice had gone to stand by the lounge window, staring out at the heavy flurry of cascading snow, the blustering wind picking it up in its clutches and scattering to create thick blankets on everything it touched.

"I hope that old woman will be alright," the rabbit Zoanthrope said, idly leaning against the window ledge.

"The woman in the reception cabin?" Yugo asked without even looking up from his game. She made a small noise to indicate that was exactly who she meant.

"Momoyama will be just fine. She's as tough as they come," Gado said, turning away from the television to regard the young woman at the window.

Alice turned with mild surprise. "You know her then?"

"Oh yes, Madame Momoyama was a secretary for a regular client during my mercenary days," he told her. "She was the kind of woman you didn't want to get on the wrong side of."

Yugo smirked. "So, definitely not a mercenary then?" He had just remembered the little conversation in the car earlier regarding the woman.

Gado shook his head. "No, but she did have a mean right hook if you disrespected her."

 _Kenji was probably right when he said 'You never know',_ Yugo thought with a quiet chuckle.

"Even though she could be grumpy, she always went out of her way to help people. She and Kinoshita particularly had a good rapport, so when she retired not so long ago he hired her as the manager for his cabins. He knew how much she enjoys keeping busy, so she was his first choice. She doesn't really have much family so it wasn't too much trouble for her to move out here. She has her own small cabin on the grounds to call home."

"That's good," Alice commented. "Well, I hope she made it back into her cabin before the snow started coming down hard." She jumped when something bounced off the window, and glanced out, confused albeit concerned. "The wind is really picking up now. It's starting to get scary out there."

Gado detached himself from Jenny – who gave him a pouting glance – as he walked over to a box on the kitchen wall. He opened it, looking over an array of switches there. He found the one he wanted on the top row and flicked it down. There was a low hum and suddenly the outer shutters started to slowly close, much to the fascination of the others. The open area began to darken, prompting Yugo to flick on a standing lamp close by. Only thin streams of light peered through the cut out shapes in the wood.

"That should protect the windows," the lion Zoanthrope assured.

Alice drew the curtains with a shiver. "I think we're going to be in for a long, cold night."

* * *

It was a surprise for Uriko's cabin mates when she brought back food for their grateful consumption. It didn't take long for every morsel to be gobbled down and for the group to eventually congregate themselves in front of their own television. ShenLong had been the one to choose the evening's entertainment: some high octane action movie with more explosions than actual plot development. The tiger sat back with a beer, engaged with some amusement by the B-grade acting and unintentionally hilarious death scenes. Nagi was sat resting her legs across his lap as she watched the action on screen, nestled comfortably in a cache of pillows. Uriko had monopolized a chair all to herself, cat earphones on playing some funky J-Pop and playing one of her handheld games. Her tongue poked out as she concentrated hard on beating the current level. She was close to her end of level boss fight.

Shina had closed the outer shutters, doing so on a text advisory from Alice as the wind started to pick up with avengeance, and had taken a place in front of the lit fire, which she and Kenji had gotten going some time earlier. The aforementioned mole Zoanthrope was sat reading one of his books on the couch next to Cronos, who was staring with an almost bewildered gaze at the flashing images on the television screen. When Shina noticed the Prince's expression, she swivelled around.

"You okay?" She asked him.

He drew his attention away, still somewhat dazed. "Oh yes, I am fine."

"You seem a little..." She rotated her hand trying to think of the right word to encapsulate his expression. "... Overwhelmed. Not your kind of movie?"

"Oh, um... Well, I must admit the movie is not one I would usually think to watch, but, well..." He seemed abashed all of a sudden. "... You see... it is very rare I get to watch television."

"It is?"

"Yes, well, we do not own a television..."

ShenLong turned, sheer disbelief plastered across his face. "You don't have a television? You're a prince! You should have fifty televisions... and a harem of lusty whores!"

Shina scowled deadpan at the tiger. "Don't be a dick, ShenLong."

"No TV?" Nagi asked in a less patronising manner, trying to divert the young prince's attention from her obnoxious beau. Cronos shook his head to confirm. "Wow. I don't think I've met anyone who doesn't own a TV."

"We have one of those sophisticated projectors for playing movies and such," Cronos said, clearly feeling awkward. "But they are mostly really old movies. Artful masterpieces, as my father would say. Nothing like this..." He indicated towards the TV, just as a car blew up when it gently brushed against a crash barrier.

"You really have been sheltered," ShenLong remarked, taking a sip of his beer. He jolted as Nagi poked him in the side. "What?!"

"You have no tack," she stated plainly before turning her attention back to Cronos. "You know, I'm sure once you've been subjected to enough television over the next few weeks you'll come to appreciate some of those old arty movies a bit more." Another car exploded on screen – for no reason. "They don't call it the idiot box for the nothing."

"Not all the shows or movies are going to be this, uh, dumb," Shina said, patting Cronos's knee. "Though I'm sure you've seen plenty of weird stuff when you've watched a TV. You're not a stranger to the experience after all."

"True. I never turned down the opportunity to watch television when staying in hotels or at relatives homes. It is always fascinating to watch cookery programmes with angry chefs. Or maybe they were not actually angry at all and it was just a language thing..."

Shina chuckled. "I do enjoy those languages that sound unintentionally irate when they're just trying to be polite..."

Another explosion and copious amounts of screaming later, ShenLong was laughing hard at an impaled man on the screen, ignoring the cringing faces around him.

"Oh man..." He took a swig of his beer. "... That guy just got himself a second asshole."

"What are you reading, Kenji?" Cronos asked, hoping to distract himself with meaningful conversation after giving up on the over-the-top action.

The mole looked up. "Advanced Trigonometry."

"Oh... is it a good book?"

"Complicated would probably be a better word."

ShenLong snorted, giving Kenji a sideward glance. "Geez, could you get anymore nerdy?"

Kenji flipped to the next page, not looking up. "Your emotional inferiority over your lack of an actual education is very sad indeed."

"Look at him, showing off with all his big words!"

"What, as opposed to you showing off your sheer stupidity?" He flipped another page casually.

ShenLong would have reacted with anger, if not for a man onscreen falling into a vat of porridge... which promptly blew up – just because it could – and for the fact Nagi gave him a look that sort of implied that he'd been asking for it. He simply grunted and finished his beer, deciding he'd probably choose a more opportune time to slap the boy upside the head.

Completely oblivious to the absurd movie and the conversation between her companions, Uriko continued to tap away at her game, ears filled with the sugary-sweet music. She quietly chuckled to herself after completing another level successfully. "I love magic pandas..." She garnered a few confused glances but nothing was said in response to her quiet enthusiasm as she ploughed on into a new level.

* * *

As the night set in, the weather worsened. Fierce winds accompanying the heavy downpour of snow jostled winter-gnarled trees until they began to shed branches big and small, carrying them away on more violent gusts into the heavy veil of falling white. Inside the two cabins, the occupants did their best to ignore the howling winds as they settled down for the night.

The sound of some sort of debris clattering off the roof briefly caught Gado's attention as he stood at the sink in the en-suite. He wasn't too concerned by the blizzard, the cabin was built to stand against the worst the weather had to throw at them, and he'd said just as much as part of comforting words to a concerned Alice before retiring for the night. The forces of nature may have been blustering unabashed, though the cabin would stand strong through it all. But it wasn't the weather that was at the forefront of his mind as he stood at the sink, the hot water still running into the ceramic bowl. No, he was more concerned right then about how damned tired and old he felt.

A vacation had certainly been on the cards for some time, but he had been putting it off as more and more important United Nations work took up nearly every hour of every day. When it came to securing and protecting a future of equality for all Zoanthropes, he was more than dedicated to fight his cause and plough on until his last breath; but even he had to admit to himself that the long hours were playing heavy on his war-battered body. Compared to many, he was sturdy as a horse, but he knew he'd pushed himself too much in this last year or so. Maybe he just didn't want to admit to himself that he was middle-aged, afraid that doing so would mean he'd start losing his edge. He'd been warned to slow down, to adapt his lifestyle as he was getting older, but he supposed his pride had gotten in the way of logic and reason.

It was probably why he felt a certain amount of self loathing and annoyance as he stared at a small bottle of pills now resting on the countertop before him.

 _Well, you reap what you sew..._ He grumbled as he uncapped the bottle and popped out a single pill. Pouring water into one the glasses by the sink, he tossed the pill into his mouth and washed it down with only the slightest grimace to the chemical tang hitting the back of his throat.

"Are you finished in there, honey?" A sultry voice asked in the doorway.

Discreetly, he tucked the bottle back into his wash bag, avoiding clattering the contents to draw attention to her keen ears. He turned – switching off the tap behind him – to face Jenny in her rather revealing negligee. All lace and no imagination, not that he'd ever minded that.

"Just finished," he said, striding to the doorway, snaking his arm around her waist. "Shall we see how comfortable the bed is?"

Her smile was delectable, and despite his silent concerns, he certainly didn't want to let down his virile partner. He captured her lips with his own, at the same time managing to flick the bathroom light off, leaving their passion highlighted only by the tempered glow of the bedside lamp.

* * *

"Night-night everybody!" Uriko's called out throughout the cabin

Shina finished pulling on her PJ bottoms, lifting her head in acknowledgment to the girl's vibrant voice. "Goodnight!" She responded, hearing muffled responses from below – maybe even a grumbling curse from ShenLong, but she wasn't paying that much attention to him.

The bathroom door opened a jar. "Jeanne?" Cronos's voice hesitantly called through. "Am I safe to come back in?"

"Yeah, I'm dressed," she assured, watching as he finally appeared in the doorway, having changed into his own expensive silken nightwear in the bathroom. He fiddled with the last button at his neck as he wandered over to the bed. "It must be odd for you to wear so much to go to bed," she remarked, brushing off inwardly that the words sounded quite lurid.

"Yes, I am used to wearing far less back home. The nights are always so warm there." He pulled back the covers and climbed gracefully into the bed. "It really has been quite a while since I wore a full pyjama set."

She nodded, casting aside a fleeting seconds thought of how casually they were just climbing into the same bed. He didn't seem particularly bothered, maybe still quite happy with the idea that it was just like a sleepover. Oh how she wished for that touch of naivety that made him such a charming young man; he hadn't been truly tainted by the lewdness of the real world. She hoped these two weeks wouldn't ruin him too much.

It had taken a lot of promises and persuasion before Cronos had been given permission to come along for the trip. His pompous father was not an easy man to negotiate with, but he owed them a lot – particularly her father Gado – for securing peace within the Zoanthrope Kingdom and not actually having him arrested for some of the experiments that had been going on behind the scenes. She had made certain that King Orion could do nothing but agree to his son taking a well earned vacation.

Shina climbed into the bed beside him, tucking herself in. She glanced over at her bedfellow, who was also just settling down. "I'm sure this is a downgrade in size."

"It is fine. The bed is very comfortable." He smiled over at her. "And the company is nice as well."

She laughed over a brief second of embarrassment. "I guess I'm just the consolation prize for it being a smaller bed. Like an extra hot water bottle. Heaven knows I appreciate another warm body with these kinds of temperatures." She thought she saw the hint of a blush on his cheeks and wanted to smack herself. Then again, maybe she was imagining it, her own mind just a haven of debauchery.

"Hopefully it will be warm enough."

She leaned over to turn off the bedside light.

"And..." He said, causing her to pause mid-motion. "You are definitely not a consolation prize."

Shina gave him a small smile, somewhat flattered, not that she'd readily admit it. "Goodnight, Cronos."

"Goodnight, Jeanne."

And the light went out, plunging the room into a thick blanket of darkness. Shina settled down, lying on her back, staring at the ceiling, which she eventually began to make out i much greater detail as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. It shouldn't have felt awkward, and she certainly shouldn't have allowed her head to swim with such confusing emotions about her companion lying next to her. She was ready to chastise herself – she, a veteran of the battlefield since her early teens, going all soft and acting like a blushing school girl. It was far from her usual self. She refused to let any ounce of conflicted emotion rise to the surface, her face a stiff mask of composure.

Maybe it was just so perfectly timed that some odd noises coming from the room below drew her thoughts onto something more tangible. Her sharp feline hearing quickly distinguished the muffled sounds for what they were, turning her expression into a scowl.

ShenLong and Nagi were certainly making the most of their bed. The spurious's moans and the tiger's husky purring was more than enough to paint a vivid picture of their activities. They were not afraid to start their vacation full throttle.

Shina glanced over at Cronos, just about making him out in the dark. He was staring right back at her, the whites of his eyes wide and bright in the darkness, certainly quite surprised about what they were hearing.

The awkwardness came back tenfold, but she quickly replaced it with a more potent emotion: anger.

She slid to the edge of the bed, unfurling a leg out from under the covers – ignoring the slight chill that greeted her – and stomped hard on the floor.

"God damn it!" She shouted. "Can't you save that until everyone is out of the cabin?!"

She distinctly heard ShenLong call her a 'frigid bitch', though Nagi mumbled something a little incomprehensible to him and their activities became a little less noisy. Sighing grumpily, she tucked her leg back in and clung tightly to the covers. She glanced back at Cronos, who she could see was smiling.

"What?" She whispered.

He shook his head, chuckling. "You are quite fearless, Jeanne. I was certain he would storm up here with that temper of his."

"N'ah... it would be too much effort to pull on his pants..."

Seconds later, they were consumed with semi-hushed laughter.

* * *

As the blizzard reached its full intensity, the temperature plummeted dramatically. It could be felt with a chilling bite inside the cabins.

Yugo snuggled up to Alice's back, both quivering in the dark beneath their cocooned duvet. Even with getting the extra blanket out of the top of the wardrobe, they were still battling to fight off the cold.

"I thought the heating was supposed to be on?" Yugo remarked, his teeth on the brink of chattering as he spoke.

"You'd have thought so..." Alice peeked over her shoulder as she felt her beau move suddenly, and watched him climb out of the bed. "What are you doing?" She quickly flipped the covers back down trap the heat back in after he'd left.

Yugo touched the radiator. It was only marginally warm. "I don't know if it's turned itself off. Maybe there is some way I can get it to switch back on."

"Gado said it was automated."

"I'll figure a way!" He said, though he was not quite sure how he was going to achieve that. When it came to technology, he just left the tough stuff for Kenji to figure out. Too bad he was in the other cabin.

He pulled a sweater on over his sleeping clothes and padded towards the door, quietly opening it and slipping out into the open room. It was even colder out there. He didn't look for a light switch, he just folded his arms tightly to his body, burying his face partly into his deep hooded neckline and guided himself towards the kitchen area where he could locate the central heating panel.

He watched his own footfalls over the flooring, hesitating as he came to tiled flooring. As his bare feet touched the cold ceramic, he hissed, the sharp chill like knives. Knowing he was close to his destination, he looked up.

A shadowy figure was stood before him.

He let out an undignified noise, attempting to fall back into a fighting stance, but instead jammed his back into the corner of the counter.

A flicker of silver glistened against a crack of light from the shutter-clad window to quickly reveal who was there. Yugo's eyes adjusted to stare at a placid Xion, standing in a robe with a glass of what appeared to be water in his hand. There was a moment of awkward silence as Yugo tried to regain his composure. And dignity for that matter.

"What are you doing sneaking around?!" Yugo asked in high-pitched whisper. He was surprised he hadn't sniffed him out or sensed his presence. He cursed himself for being too relaxed, though he tried to justify that his nose was buried in his sweater that was potent with his sweat and the expensive cologne Alice loved to have him wear. Xion was almost like a ghost stood there, his very power essence practically negligible, like he was walking around trying to not to be felt. It was almost a little creepy.

"I wasn't sneaking around," the silver-haired man said smoothly. "I was getting a drink."

Yugo grumbled, wanting to retort in some form, but he was too cold, and now he had a pain in his back right above his kidneys. Xion, not one to delve into small talk, drifted past him with gliding steps. Yugo watched after him as he returned to his room, completely unaffected. He quivered, partly from the cold and partly from having to deal with such an enigma of a man.

Getting back to the task at hand – certainly with more focus as he was starting to freeze his balls off – he approached the counter on the back wall at the far corner near the stairs, and glanced at the small panel there for the heating. Pushing a button the corner, the small screen lit up in a subdued green, revealing the current temperature inside the cabin – nigh on zero Celsius, and the reading outside, which was definitely far below zero! A little icon in the corner indicated that the heating had actually just turned itself back on. So it wasn't turning off as he'd first thought. He'd pretty much gotten out of bed for nothing. He blamed it all on having the log fire on earlier that had probably tricked the system to turn off for much longer than needed.

Yugo grumped all the way back to the room. He hurried in, swiftly shutting the door behind him.

Alice slowly sat up. "What was that noise before? Was that _you_?"

Yugo opened and closed his mouth, averting his gaze. "Xion was prowling about in the dark like a God damned ghost."

She smiled behind a hand. "Bless you. Your yell was so girly."

"I'll give you girly!" He tossed his sweater off and leapt onto the bed, scrambling under the sheets to slip his hands under her pyjama top.

Alice squeaked with shock, trying to get away from him. "Your hands are cold!" She clamoured, batting at him as he chuckled against her back. "You fiend!" He touched her feet with his own and she let out a strangled cry, trying to kick him off. "Cold-cold-cold-cold-cold!"

He chuckled, settling against her as her thrashing ceased with the warming of his appendages, though she did jump as his slightly chilled lips brushed against her neck to lay a kiss there. "The heating is coming back on, by the way."

Her response was to hit him with a pillow.


	3. Clear

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.  
**

 **Chapter 3: Clear**

 _THUNK..._

 _THUNK... THUNK..._

Shina's eyes scrunched tighter, her mind drawn from blissful sleep by the strange noise, which registered in her brain as an annoyance. After a few moments more, she opened her eyes, rolling over to check the clock on the bedside table. It was just after eight.

 _THUNK... THUNK... THUNK..._

The dull, heavy noise held her attention, drawing her eyes with some surprise and rising concern towards the ceiling. It was coming from the roof. Her keen feline hearing picked up what sounded like someone moving across the structure.

She was suddenly on high alert.

Sparing a glance at Cronos – who was bundled up cosily beneath the quilt asleep – she peeled back the cover in a single motion and leapt from the bed. Finding her shoes and a jacket in an instant, she just about managed to get them on in her rush to the door. The adrenaline was pumping, a sudden sharp sense of urgency ringing through her.

Someone was on the roof, maybe even more than one person. There could have been others even surrounding the place. It had been her last thought to try looking out of the window, but even then, the shutters were closed and she would have to waste precious seconds fiddling with the system to open them, which would alert anyone outside to movement in the cabin.

She took the stairs two at a time, skipping the last three with a leap that would have impressed even an Olympic long jumper as she headed for the door, ready for a fight.

 _Someone's about to get their ass kicked!_ When she got in the zone, she was an unstoppable force.

Her eyes were almost glowing amber with determination as she flung open the front door.

Momoyama was stood near the side of the road across from the cabin, adorned in a long, thick coat and a pair of fluffy trimmed snow boots half buried in the compacted snow on the ground. Her steely eyes behind thick glasses took in Shina as she appeared suddenly in the doorway. The old woman raised an eyebrow at her as she sipped a thermos of hot coffee. A man with a shovel trudged along behind her clearing part of the path, humming a tune to himself. Shina was stood stiffly on the veranda, rigid with both confusion and the chill that had greeted her upon stepping outside. Distantly she could hear some sort of machinery at work, and turned to try to see what was making the sound. She thought she saw the back end of a snowplough disappearing down the road, but she couldn't be too sure if that was exactly what it was.

"You should stay inside," Momoyama called over to the young woman. Shina turned back to her, opening her mouth to speak though found herself quickly closing it again when she heard an almost thunderous noise as something seemed to fall off the roof. She moved a few paces along the veranda, just in time to see an avalanche of snow crash into a heap at the side of the cabin.

The whole situation began to make sense to her when she noticed there were a couple of men straddling the top of the other cabin roof, loosening the snow there so it would slide off unimpeded.

"It's to keep the weight off the roofs," Momoyama informed her, something Shina acknowledged with a slight nod as she carried on watching the men at work. "I've got my boys working to get as much snow out of the way as possible," the older woman continued. "It should take about a couple of hours to get the roads clear. Sit tight for now."

Shina sighed quietly, deciding it was too cold to stand around watching the spectacle and went back inside, leaving Momoyama and her small army of men to their duties.

She hadn't really known what she'd been expecting to find moments before – ninja assassins maybe? Not that they didn't have one of their own on hand if they needed to retaliate to a threat. But in this case, she'd let her imagination run away with her.

 _Wow, being a bodyguard makes my brain tired..._ She decided to try and be a little less jumpy while undertaking her unofficial duties; otherwise she was going to spend the rest of the vacation on tenterhooks.

Tiredly she closed the door behind her, shutting out the cold, just as ShenLong walked out of his bedroom across the way, clad only in sweatpants hanging low on his hips. He yawned, stretching his arms above his head until something made a gratifying pop.

His crimson eyes glanced curiously at her. "What's got you running around so damned early? It sounded like a rampaging elephant."

"Nothing," she grumped, heading for the stairs. "Don't go outside for a couple of hours. There's a lot of snow shovelling going on."

"I'm not planning to. What I am going to do is take a satisfying piss then go back to bed." He meandered into the bathroom next door and kicked the door closed behind him.

Shina rolled her eyes as she trudged up the stairs much slower then she had come down them. As she reached the top step, the door opened and Cronos appeared, bundled up in a thick dressing gown. He blinked through sleepy eyes at her.

"Jeanne, what happened?" He asked with a groggy voice. "You rushed out all of a sudden."

She ran a hand over her face, partly not wanting to admit her initial fears and feeling bad that she had unintentionally awoken him moments after bounding out of bed.

"Don't worry it about, Cronos," Shina assured, patting his shoulder as she passed him into the bedroom. "False alarm."

"False-?"

"I need more sleep," she cut in, yawning, "maybe another hour or two..." Her shoes were kicked off at the side of the bed and her jacket tossed towards a chair, though it missed completely and landed on the floor.

Cronos shrugged to himself and wandered back over to the bed, climbing in bedside his companion, who had buried her face into her pillow. Still tired as well, he pulled off his dressing ground and set it aside, settling back down for a little more well deserved sleep.

* * *

It was by quarter to ten that morning that everyone in Gado's cabin was up and bustling about. Alice, having opened all the shutters to see what the workers were doing outside, was now just finishing cooking up another omelette, having solely undertaken all breakfast duties. She laid the hot fluffy omelette out onto a plate with a serving of mushrooms and scallion and handed it to Xion, who was sat waiting patiently at the island bar.

"Thank you," he said softly. "You really didn't have to."

"The pleasure was mine!" She said, happily going back to the stove to prepare another.

Gado appeared on the steps coming down from his room. He inhaled the delicious aroma coming from the kitchen area, which caused his stomach to rumble demandingly. "Something smells good."

"I'm making omelettes!" Alice said without looking back, cracking a few more eggs into the hot pan. "Would you like one? I'm making them with mushrooms and scallion."

"That would be nice, thank you." He approached the island bar where Xion was tucking into his breakfast as he read a book. "Please don't feel you have to cook all the meals," he continued to the young woman. "We want you to enjoy your vacation as well without being tied down in the kitchen all the time."

"Oh, I don't mind really!" She exclaimed, smiling over her shoulder at the older man. "I really enjoy cooking."

Gado grabbed a pot of readymade coffee and began to pour himself a cup. "Have you at least had one yourself? I don't mind waiting until you've eaten before I have one."

"Please, don't worry; I will have mine at the end! There should be just enough mushrooms left over by then. Not a fan of any sort of onion, so there are plenty of scallions for everyone else."

Yugo reclined across one of the couches, his breakfast plate empty as he watched a sports highlights programme. He lifted himself up to look over the back towards Gado. "Morning! Sleep well?"

"I did, thank you," he confirmed. "Yourselves?"

"Yeah, when it started to warm up. I thought the system had broken down or something."

"He gave himself a scare when he went to check the temperature controls," Alice interjected as she loosened the edges of the omelette now taking form. Yugo gave her a pouty look.

"I see..." Gado grinned. "Was that the strange shout I heard?"

"Not quite a silver ghost was it, Yugo..." She chuckled, glancing over to Xion, giving him a wink. Even the usually cold man had to grin in good humour.

"Where's Jenny?" Yugo quickly asked the lion Zoanthrope, trying to change the subject.

"She's just soaking in the bathtub. She'll probably be a while in the bathroom beautifying herself." His lover had asked him to join her in the deep tub, but his stomach had demanded him to go in search of food. Besides, the pair had enjoyed quite a bit of 'playtime' in the shower beforehand.

"Here you are!" Alice clamoured, placing Gado's piping hot breakfast in front of him. The smell was tantalising.

" _Merci Beaucoup._ "

The downstairs bathroom door opened and Long appeared, towel drying his long damp hair. He was clad in a more casual version of his usual Chinese tunic and trousers, his glasses peeking out of a lower pocket on his top. They others in the room offered a round of polite 'good mornings', which he returned graciously. Alice offered to make him an omelette, though he politely declined, preferring to make himself some congee, though did request to use some of her cooked mushrooms and scallion to accompany it, which she was more than happy to oblige him with.

Long placed the towel on the bathroom radiator and returned to the room. "I think I shall make some green tea. Would anyone else like a cup?"

Alice smiled. "Yes, that sounds lovely!"

Gado declined, quite satisfied with his coffee. Yugo had never been a fan of green tea so turned down the offer as well.

"I will have a cup," Xion said evenly, barely lifting his eyes from the pages of book. Long nodded and gathered the implements to prepare to the tea for the three of them.

There was a knock at the door. Yugo, making himself useful, went to answer it while everyone else was preoccupied. Momoyama stood on the steps like a tiny statue. Before he could even greet her or ask what she wanted, she spoke: "The workers will be done within the hour. It should be safe for you to walk about after then, though don't go straying off the paths. We've only cleared the important routes. Enjoy the rest of your morning." And with that, she left, plodding off through the snow.

"Uh, _okay..._ short and sweet." Yugo closed the door. "I guess you guys probably heard all of that." They indicated they had. "I genuinely thought that might have been Uriko, though she would just usually crash her way through unannounced." Alice gave him a sharp look.

"That's Momoyama for you; always keeping things concise." Gado said with a fond smile.

"I wonder if there was much damage done by the blizzard," Long said thoughtfully.

Gado looked over to the Chinese man. "I'm sure we'll see when we head out in a short while."

"So, what shall we do today?" Alice asked amid preparing her own food.

"Uh..." Yugo strolled over to the couch, trying to think of something. He glanced at Gado. "Did you have any plans?"

"I thought I might go on a drive to check out the local area, and maybe head down to the closest town. I think it's about a good twenty to thirty minutes away. Just want to get an idea of what's there. You're free to join me if you want."

Yugo nodded, considering it. "Could do."

"I'll see what Uriko and the others are doing first," Alice said. "Though it does sound like a nice idea. It would be great to find a lot of nice things to do over the vacation."

* * *

A short while later...

With the workers finally gone, their task completed, Uriko excitedly prepared herself to head outside and appreciate all the winter season had to offer. She pulled on her snow boots at the front entrance, zipping herself into her fleece-lined coat and flung open the door, greeted almost immediately by a sharp slap from the cold outside. She was unphased though, leaping excited onto the veranda before bounding out onto the snowy ground. There had been a nice big pile of snow left next to the front steps and she'd leapt into it with glee. The lighter flakes exploded outwards like white glitter while the rest crunched and compacted under her. In her eyes, this was what a winter vacation was truly about.

Her joyous laughter reverberated around her loudly, drawing attention from both cabins. The first to emerge after her was ShenLong, and that was just to see why she was making such a racket. He hadn't bothered to put on any outdoor gear, and simply folded his arms over his silk shirt.

"What are you? Six?" He huffed at her, clearly unimpressed with her childish spectacle as she threw snow up and over her, enjoying how the soft flakes rained down on her.

"You're just too dumb to appreciate the little things!" Uriko returned proudly, sneakily starting to roll up a snowball beside her. Before he even had chance to react, she lobbed the ball at him. It exploded against his right shoulder. He yelped loudly, the cold melting through the thin fabric onto his skin.

Uriko lithely bolted away towards the other cabin, laughing at the top of her lungs, just as Long stepped out onto the other patio, watching his student approach with a skip in her step.

ShenLong was seething, ready to bolt after her. "Why you-"

"I wouldn't, if I were you," he heard Nagi say to him as she stepped out onto the veranda, pulling her coat on with one hand as she juggled a coffee with the other. "You're not wearing any shoes."

His face scrunched up tightly, trying to pretend he hadn't forgotten that fact.

"Oh, and a coat for that matter," Nagi added, touching the wet patch on his shirt. "Get inside before you catch a cold."

ShenLong vowed revenge against the teen, though as he glared after her, his eyes locked with Long's, who remained passive as they stared back at him. Grunting with disgust, the clone tiger retreated back inside. Nagi remained on the patio, leaning on the banister as she carried on drinking her coffee, barely giving much more than a glance towards Long and Uriko.

The cat-girl threw her arms around her master grinning. "Good morning!"

Long patted her head in greeting. "I see you are already enjoying yourself."

"I sure am!"

"So what are you planning to do now?"

"I'm going to build a snowman!" She decided with certainty. "Want to help me?"

"Snowmen are not quite my forte, though I am more than happy to observe."

Uriko pouted, though knew she wouldn't be able to change his mind. "Is Alice around? She'll help me build one!"

"I believe she will be out soon. She is just finishing tidying up."

"Okay!" Uriko unlatched herself from her master and went back to jumping in small piles of snow, admiring the patterns her footprints made with each step.

Xion appeared on the patio next to Long, adorned in a tight fitting woollen jacket. He didn't say anything at first to the other man as he observed Uriko's display of childlike enthusiasm over the snow. Long knew he was there but didn't turn to him, knowing full well he wasn't one for engaging too much in conversation. It's probably why Long enjoyed his company so much; that neither had to engage in meaningless chit-chat when they didn't need to.

Eventually, Xion spoke: "Is she usually like this?"

"Overexcited you mean?"

"Yes."

"Uriko embraces life in her own vibrant way. I almost envy that she handles things with such innocent wonder – always smiling and full of vigour, despite having lived through many traumatic times."

Xion glanced over at Long, saying nothing. He wasn't sure if her behaviour surprised or annoyed him, but if it was what made her happy, who was he to openly throw scorn on it. His eyes drifted passed Long to Nagi, who was still staring out at the snow covered scenery before her on the other veranda, languidly sipping her coffee. As much as he put up a cold front against her unrestrained anger, he wasn't truly indifferent to her feelings. Her close presence stirred something that made his heart cheerless in the face of her condemnation.

They shared the same blood, albeit because it was forced on her when he tried to kill her while manipulated by both his dead sister's lingering spirit and the dark soul of the unborn. With both factors eliminated, he was now free to think and act of his own accord, in full control of his own body and beast form. He had found some kind of peace, left now to merely seek the answers of his heritage and find a quiet place in society. Something in him – whether it was to further cement his inner peace or because of a shared affinity – felt the need to build bridges with the young woman. She may have not been a 'true' unborn, but the familiarity of her powers created a distinct connection between them, as if they were truly kin. He longed to be close to that familiar essence – not because of any sexual or romantic inclinations, but merely to obtain platonic warmth.

Feeling his eyes on her, Nagi turned to meet his gaze, her expression stiffening. Her eyes darkened instantaneously with loathing. His face remained neutral the whole time, though underneath, he felt a sadness weigh heavy in his heart. He watched as she turned sharply on her heels, retreating inside, her mood clearly soured.

"She will come around, Xion."

The silver-haired man's gaze went back to Long, who had noticed to whom his focus had shifted to. The Chinese man had clearly seen something in eyes, even if the rest of his face had been a stoic mask.

"It is probably a lost cause," Xion remarked, looking back over at Uriko, who was starting to gather up snow into a huge clump, the beginnings of her snowman.

"Time and perseverance," Long continued, "that is what it will take, though I am sure the more you try, the more she will thaw."

"Thaw... hmph, such a choice of word in this weather."

Alice appeared in the doorway behind them, pulling on a padded jacket over her knitted jumper dress and woollen tights. Her winter hat – unsurprisingly – was shaped to imitate long, floppy rabbit ears. She trotted out in heavy duty snow boots, the fluffy lining like a warm cuddle around her feet and ankles.

She turned to the two men. "Everything alright?"

"Yes, perfectly," Long answered.

"Your sister is very energetic," Xion commented, his eyes still on Uriko, who was singing to herself as she shovelled more snow together with her gloved hands, "and loud."

"That's my sister for you!"

The girl noticed Alice now stood on the veranda and waved her hands at her. "Sis, come on! Help me build a snowman!" She clamoured excitedly.

"Sure thing!" Alice called back to her, and glanced at the two men. "Will you join us?"

"I shall remain an observer for the time being," Long said.

"I think I'll sit this one out," Xion said, turning to go back inside. "Happy building." And with that, he retreated into the warmth.

Alice headed down the steps towards her sister, who directed her to help her gather more snow.

* * *

Shina was sat cross-legged on the couch, already dressed for heading out minus her walking boots. She wore thick lined trousers and a fleecy sportswear pullover atop a slightly weathered t-shirt with a barely discernible graphic of a cartoon character. It was one of those tops she never seemed to go anywhere without, and usually received pointed comments about from her father for its shabby state. Luckily he wasn't going to see it under the pullover, so she could proudly wear it without him or anyone else knowing. Besides, she always dressed for comfort above all else.

At that moment, she was finishing a cup of tea and watching a programme about some guy eating in the world's weirdest restaurants. She barely batted an eyelid as ShenLong grumbled his way across the room behind her a short time earlier, going straight to his bedroom. She only looked away from the screen when she heard Kenji drop a spoon as he went to sit at the island bar to read his textbook and enjoy a cup of tea of his own from the same pot Shina had brewed. Nagi appeared around that time, dumping herself in the recliner close by, her face clearly unimpressed. Shina decided not to ask, not wanting to get involved.

She was only still sat around in front of the television at this point because she was waiting for Cronos to finish getting dressed for going out for walk around the grounds. He'd spent an extra long time soaking in the bath, feeling the cold more than most. The change of climate was certainly disconcerting for him.

She didn't turn at first when she heard the upstairs door open, as she was absorbed in the concept of a hospital themed restaurant, but she did turn when she heard the creak of the stairs as Cronos reached the bottom. She took him in, opened her mouth and slowly closed it again, pinching her lips together trying not to grin too much.

"Okay..." she managed to peel out at the sight of him.

Cronos was practically swallowed up in clothing, moving not quite as gracefully as he usually would. Shina couldn't be sure how many layers he had on, but the fact that such a skinny young man could suddenly look so chubby was almost too funny to handle.

"Wow, Cronos," Nagi cut in, seemingly taken out of her dark mood by the sight of him. "You look like you're prepared for an Arctic exhibition." Kenji looked up as well to take in the young man, not quite sure what to make of his outfit.

The young prince pulled down his scarf, along with the top of a thick polo neck. "I wanted to be prepared." Seeing their clearly amused expressions, his cheeks coloured. "Is it too much?"

"It's probably a little bit over prepared," Shina said standing up, taking her now empty cup over to the kitchen. "How many layers have you got on?"

"Uh..." He had to think about it, which was not a good start. "... Four... no... Five on the top... and three bottom layers..."

Shina snorted, putting her cup in the sink. "Okay, back upstairs. You'll end up baking yourself like a potato going around like that."

Cronos seemed flustered. "I... uh... I just..."

"Look, Kenji will help you dress more appropriately, won't you, Kenji?" The teen looked up when his name was mentioned, noticing the insistence in Shina's eyes.

"I guess so," Kenji acquiesced, seeing there was little choice in the matter.

"Good man, Kenji!" Shina said with satisfaction. "Don't worry, Cronos. He'll sort you out. But make it snappy, okay?"

The two men quietly voiced their acknowledgement and traipsed up the stairs.

Nagi chuckled, eying Shina. "Bodyguard _and_ fashion guru?"

The leopard Zoanthrope snorted. "Pfft. Fashion has got nothing to do with it." Her t-shirt came to mind in that moment, the antithesis of fashion itself. She went and took her place back on the couch. "So, what are your plans for today?"

Nagi shrugged, putting her coffee cup on the table. "Not sure yet... might vegetate for a bit until someone suggests anything better to do."

"Well, me and Cronos are going to check out the grounds around the cabins. I know it's quite a big area, and with it being private, it'll be nice and quiet. Maybe we'll come across some other vacationers, though with how cold it is, not sure who else would book a break this time of year."

"Skiers and snowboard junkies maybe?"

"Yeah, maybe. The terrain would be perfect for it right now! There might be some good slopes around here."

About fifteen minutes later, between much discussion about winter sports and commentary of the world having too many crazy themes for restaurants, the women were interrupted by Cronos and Kenji's return, with the former now looking a little less bulky and more comfortable.

The Frenchwoman stood. "That's much better!"

Cronos smiled, smoothing down his jacket. "It does feel so much better."

Shina went to grab her boots. "Okay, let's go see what's out there!"

* * *

There was no particular art in building a snowman, but if there was, Alice and Uriko were probably far from demonstrating the greatest level of innovation with their efforts. They had taken their time to fashion a nice big base mound, which Long had pointed out had to be plenty big and sturdy to withstand the upper torso and head to follow. With the base done, they gathered up more snow to create a fair sized ball for the upper body. Once formed, together they lifted it onto the base and stepped back, admiring what they had done so far. It looked pretty good in their eyes. Maybe it was a little off kilter, but it was staying in one place, which was the important thing.

"Well, time to give our snowman friend a head!" Alice stated, following her sister to gather more snow from the side of the roadway.

As they continued with their construction, Yugo, Gado and Jenny stepped out of the cabin, ready to head off on their excursion.

"Maybe we should just take my car and travel around together?" Yugo suggested.

"Yes, let Yugo drive," Jenny urged, leaning against Gado's arm. "He can chauffeur us around while we take in the scenery."

The elder lion was hesitant. "I don't mind driving, you know. I wouldn't want to put the entire burden on one person."

Jenny scoffed and gave a hearty laugh. "Don't be so proud, my dear! Let someone else take charge for once! And anyway, you can always contribute as a backseat driver."

Gado sighed, deciding not to waste any further energy on arguing the point. "Okay, fine. I concede."

"Good choice," she said, patting his arm.

Yugo watched Alice and Uriko from the steps patting a snowball into a head shape. He glanced over at Long. "It didn't take long for Uriko to rope Alice into snowman building."

"Not long at all, but they seem to be enjoying themselves," Long commented.

"Alice!" Yugo called over to his girlfriend. She looked up, still bent over the snowball. "We're about to go out for a drive. Are you staying here?"

"I can't abandon the build halfway through," she said, smiling at Uriko.

"No worries! We shouldn't be gone more than a few hours anyway."

Gado turned to Long. "You're welcome to join us if you like?"

"No thank you," he politely turned down. "I will be sitting down with my book again shortly."

"I'll see if one of the others wants to come along," Yugo said, heading towards the other cabin. He was just about to reach the front of it when Shina and Cronos stepped outside. "Hey guys!" He greeted.

"Hey Yugo," Shina responded, adjusting her thick gloves. "What's up?"

"Just wanted to see if anyone wanted to join us on a drive around the area?"

"We're going on a walk," Shina told him, patting Cronos's shoulder. "We want to see what the cabin grounds are like."

Yugo nodded understandingly. "Yeah, I'll probably do that myself at some point." Kenji appeared behind the pair in the doorway, arms folded against the cold, having heard Yugo's voice. "Hey, Kenji!" He greeted his brother. "You want to come for a drive around?"

"I'm just finishing a chapter in my textbook and then I might go for a walk as well," he said.

Yugo couldn't help but frown. "You're not going to spend your whole vacation buried in school stuff are you?"

"Not the whole vacation. I just wanted to get plenty done in the outset."

"I'll go with you," another voice cut in, and Nagi appeared, grabbing her shoes. "I wouldn't mind seeing a bit of the area." She turned and called back into the cabin. "ShenLong! I'm heading out for a while! Don't eat all the snacks!"

ShenLong reappeared from their bedroom and wandered over to the couch. "I'll eat all the snacks if I want, woman... but I won't, because I'm not a fat-ass!"

Nagi rolled her eyes. "Whatever... Be good." She hopped down the steps towards Yugo. "Ready when you are."

"We're taking my car. Gado and Jenny are going as well."

"I'm calling shotgun then!" She said as they walked away. "Let them oldies canoodle in the back!"

Yugo chuckled and waved back at Shina and Cronos. "Later guys!"

"Yeah, see you later!" Shina responded and turned to Cronos. "Okay, let's head west and see what's about."

"Okay." Happy to follow her lead, the pair headed off to follow the path towards the more forested area of the grounds.

Gado and Jenny were waiting by Yugo's rented Jeep as their companions approached. They called their goodbyes back to Alice, Uriko and Long and got into the car. Long watched them quietly as the four drove away until they were out of sight.

"Long! Does the head look straight to you?" Alice called to him, pointing at their ever-growing snowman. Though, before he could even give an answer, the ball that was supposed to be a head fell off, making the pair yelp. He couldn't help but smile in response.

"You will need to pack the snow a little tighter around the neck," he advised, watching the pair look at each other with bewilderment before breaking out into fits of laughter.

"Bless him, already losing his head," Alice guffawed, leaning over to pat the ball with some affection.

Uriko knelt down, grinning from ear to ear. "Don't worry, Mr Snowman. Alice is a nurse. She'll fix you right up!"

* * *

The pathway that traversed the land had been vacated of snow and debris, salted for safer walking by the workers who had tirelessly cleaned up in the wake of the blizzard. It had been surprising how quick Momoyama had been able to arrange a cleanup operation. How treacherous the roads must have been for them to get there after such an awful night of weather. But somehow they had managed to battle through and had things cleared up in no time at all.

On either side of the path, bare spruce and firs were powdered with fine snow and frost; branches were clung to by slithers of icicles, which caught the gleam of the winter sun with a diamond twinkle. Some trees showed the scars of the night before, but they appeared to stand tall despite losing a few smaller limbs.

Cronos was bedazzled by his surroundings. From the first moment he had arrived in Hokkaido, he had been taken in by the beauty of the scenery around him, gorgeously painted in winter colours. This was far from what he was used to back home; winter where he was from was mild in comparison, and snow was a particular rarity.

He walked to the left of Shina, who was quietly enjoying the exercise of their walk, letting him be caught up in the sights and sounds of their environment without distraction. His eyes moved from tree to tree with intrigue, basking in their majesty as he inhaled the fresh scents from the untainted flora all around. The air was crisp and cool, his warm breath dancing before him in a wispy mist. Despite his not being acclimatised, he was taking the cold weather well in his stride. Maybe he was finally channelling some of his penguin form for once.

His eyes caught movement in the branches close by and he glanced up to see a flying squirrel glide across to another, larger tree. When it landed, it skittered up the ravaged bark and disappeared into a hole near the top.

"How cute!" he remarked, breaking the silence. His eyes caught another creature at ground level, bigger than the squirrel but still fairly small, something he wasn't quite familiar with. "What is that?" He pointed at the creature in question.

Shina turned and caught a glimpse of the animal before it disappeared between the winter shrubs and snow drifts. "It could be a type of marten. I'd probably have to look it up."

"There are so many wonderful little creatures here. It is truly delightful to get to experience them in their natural habitat."

They carried on for some time, him watching out for other animals while she quietly took in the scenery, enjoying the taste of the clean air at the back of her throat. It felt nice to her to get away from grubby old suburbia for a while and take in the wholesome atmosphere of the unspoiled countryside.

As they rounded the track onto an incline, Cronos spoke up again. "Is everything alright, Jeanne? You seem rather quiet."

"Hey, don't worry about me! I'm just enjoying the quiet. Plus I didn't want to ruin your enjoyment of the scenery with me blabbing on in your ear."

"I like your spontaneous conversation," he said softly. "And as much as I enjoy some peace and quiet, I much prefer hearing your voice."

She chuckled, hiding a slight flush in her cheeks. "I'm sure some people would disagree with you." She quickly cleared her throat. "How are you holding up anyway? Is it too cold for you?"

"It is very cold, but not so cold that I want to go back just yet."

"You'd figure with having a penguin form, it would be something you'd handle a little better."

Cronos gave a small smile. "Funny, it was something I was thinking of earlier; that I am starting to channel my inner penguin. Or maybe it is just my fiery blood starting to resist the cold."

"It's good to have options," Shina joked light-heartedly. "But let me know if you start to get too cold. I wouldn't be doing my duty if I wasn't looking out for your wellbeing."

"I will, I promise."

They eventually saw the first signs of other vacationers in the form of a middle-aged Chinese couple taking photographs of a frozen pond nestled just off the track. The couple stopped briefly to greet them in English as they passed before carrying on with their picture taking.

Shina was glad to be away from the cabins for a while, not having to deal with ShenLong's cheap sense of humour, Uriko's hyperactivity or Jenny's... _everything_. The less she interacted with the woman the better; she was a harlot with a viper's tongue, purring and smirking her way through life and into her father's bed. She'd never understand what he saw in her, but she said nothing, letting him dictate his own happiness no matter how much the woman irked her. She was just sick of the bat woman's snootiness around her. She just hoped she could spend the majority of the vacation as far away from her as possible.

With such irritations floating around her, it made her glad to have Cronos in her company. Keeping an eye on him was a welcomed distraction. She found solace in their rekindled friendship, focusing on rebuilding the foundations of a relationship that had almost been lost. They clung to the treads of happy albeit broken memories and a shared tragedy. It was something only they understood. The more time she got to spend with the young man, the more she felt an attachment she couldn't find the right words to describe, though it was for certain that the words would be positive ones. As she looked at him out of the corner of her eye, something stirred in her, something that made her heart beat a little bit faster.

As he turned back to look at her amid his wonderment of the majestic winter landscapes, she pretended to be looking elsewhere, admiring rocks that she probably wouldn't have spent more than a couple of seconds glancing over at any other time.

It was in a moment of trying play off that she hadn't stirred any awkwardness in herself when something caught her ear. She wasn't quite sure even with her sharp hearing what she had heard at first, but as they continued walking on, the sound came again much clearer, and she began to realise what it was.

It was a cat's meow; a distinct call that said that it might be in distress.

"You hear that?" She asked her companion, who gave her a slightly blank look. "It sounds like a cat."

"A... cat?" He focused his hearing, until eventually he picked up on it. "Oh yes, so it is!"

Gauging the direction of the sound, they eventually found themselves looking skyward towards an approaching tree, a tall and gangly thing with a cluster of branches that thinned out towards the top. And low and behold, up there was a small tortoise shell cat, probably only a year old at most. It seemed like it had bitten off more than it could chew.

"I think the poor creature is stuck," Cronos observed. The little cat looked down when hearing his voice, mewing what could have been construed as a plea for help.

"You're right." She didn't want to just leave it there while they ran off for help. It could start to get desperate and end up bringing even worse trouble on itself. Resolved, she approached the tree, looking for good footholds. "You stay here. I'm going up."

"Jeanne, that cannot be safe without proper climbing equipment," Cronos said with concern.

"Don't worry! I've got years of tree climbing experience under my belt." Not that she mentioned all the times she had fallen out of trees. "Hopefully it will be willing to let me help it get to safety. Stay here, any luck this won't take long."

With grit and precision, she hoisted herself up, testing branches with care before proceeding upwards. Cronos watched after her, his gut tight with concern that her good deed would come back to haunt her.

She took care to avoid slimmer branches that might not be able to hold her weight, instead shifting her weight cautiously to the larger limbs as she shimmied up the trunk, making her way steadily up towards the cat, which was digging its claws to its own branch tightly, watching her progression with an uneasy gaze.

Cronos watched Shina get over the halfway point when something rushed out of the trees a little further up the path and sprinted off in a blur. He turned, having caught the abrupt movement; a flash of pink amid a clatter of hurried footfalls that disappeared around the corner up ahead. There was something about the warbling, breathless sound that accompanied the blurry form that drew his attention completely.

It sounded like crying.

He gave a quick glance back up towards Shina, who was still focused solely on the cat, seeming to be making progress unhindered. His gut was telling him to follow after the small figure that had been weeping with such anguish. His heart compelled him to offer assistance in any way he could. While his friend continued her task, offering soft words of comfort to the little cat, Cronos wandered off down the path, wondering if whoever he'd seen was still close by.

By pure chance, they indeed were. He hadn't had to walk far to find them.

It was a little girl, dressed in a long woollen pink coat adorning a frilly white dress with tiny pink bows on the hem. Her head was dressed with a hat that matched her coat, resting atop shoulder-length raven black hair. She was facing a tree, her mitten-clad hands covering her face as she sobbed in a broken way. Cronos approached with caution, his heart aching at such a sad sound. He couldn't stand around idly while this poor young girl cried in such a pitiable way. What had caused such an innocent little soul to cry with such abandon? She couldn't have been much older than seven at a guess. So overtaken by her own sobs, she could barely catch her breath, hiccupping between wails.

He stopped a few metres from her, compelled to offer reassurance in the face of her unspoken misery. "Excuse me?" He asked softly. She instantly jumped and turned around at the sound of his voice, pulling her hands from her tear-stained face to reveal shocked brown eyes. She had such pale and delicate features, her round cheeks glowing red, near enough matching in colour to her puffy under eyes from all the tears she had shed. He was taken aback by the fear that suddenly washed over her face. "Are you alright?" He continued, trying to keep his voice as gentle and amiable as possible.

She stared at him, for a moment rigid with trepidation before she started to slowly back peddle away from him.

He put up his hands. "I did not mean to startle you. I was concerned when I heard you crying." She seemed to stop, but her expression still remained terrified. "Are you lost? Where are you parents?"

Her eyes widened even further, and she started to shake. Before he could react, she turned and ran as fast as her little legs could carry her.

"Wait, please!" He called after her as she raced off down the path and around another turn. He jogged after her, not wanting to slip on the patches of ice on the path nor wanting to frighten the girl even more then she already was. But it was clear as he headed down and around that she had completely vanished, the path ahead of him now completely devoid of any other person. He glanced around to see if she could be hiding close by, but there was no sign of her. She had managed to get away, likely abandoning the path altogether to go through the trees. He stood still, full of concern for the clearly distressed girl, but was at a loss for what to do next.

"CRONOS!"

He jumped as Shina called his name, rounding the corner behind him at a fair pace. With her was the cat now nestled safely under her arm, quite content against her warmth.

"Why did you run off like that?" She asked, trying not to sound too annoyed.

"Forgive me, Jeanne," Cronos apologised. "There was a little girl. She was very upset. I heard her crying so I followed to see if she was lost, but she ran away. She was very afraid of me, not that I blame her as I am a complete stranger after all. It was just..." He turned to look back at the empty path before him, a path that the child had completely vanished from. "... I felt her sadness. A heartbreak that was so intense..."

"Which way did she go?"

"I am not quite sure. She disappeared very quickly, even though I was not far behind. I am worried about her out here while in such a state."

"We'll keep an eye out for her," Shina assured. "There might be someone else close by she is with. They could even be looking for her themselves." He didn't look too certain about this. She offered a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We'll keep an eye out for her, but let's not stray off the path. Remember Momoyama told everyone that some parts might still be perilous from blizzard damage. We can only hope the kid doesn't wander too far away from the path. If we don't see her again, we can always report it to Momoyama."

"Okay..." Cronos sighed, and then glanced at the little cat staring at him inquisitively. "I see you managed to safely bring our little friend here back down to terra firma."

"Yeah, the little guy wasn't much trouble," she said, giving a friendly smile to the little kitty.

"You were alright getting back down?"

She gave him a small smirk. "A cat always lands on their feet. In this case, a leopard."

"You are a brave woman, Jeanne."

"I like to think so! Shall we get this little fella back to the cabin for some to food and drink? I'm sure after his ordeal he needs some sustenance. Maybe we'll see that little girl on the way back."

"I hope so." He really hoped nothing would happen to her in the meantime. The thoughts of her unbridled sadness plagued him all the way back to the cabins.


	4. Devotion

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.**

 **Chapter 4: Devotion**

There was only so much mathematical theory one could take before the mind became too exhausted to process the information. As much as Kenji found such things fascinating, even he had to admit that his brain had given up almost half an hour ago on taking in anymore complex equations. As dedicated as he was to keep ahead of the game and keep on top of all his school assignments and extra curricula learning, even he had to know when to call it quits. He had done enough cramming for one day.

He knew that sometimes he overdid it when it came to his studies. His focus was on preparing himself for his final year in high school where mounting pressure would undoubtedly come in regards to his exams. He already had his eyes set on a prestigious university, and wanted to do everything it took to get the grades to get him there.

But even he needed to take a break sometimes, and with a tired sigh, he pushed away his textbook – now closed – and leaned back on his stool. He needed to let himself unwind and not overburden himself in one go. He had to admit he had unintentionally worn himself out, and regretted not taking Yugo's advice to 'chill out' from the get go. But he supposed it was better late than never that he was finally opening up to accept his older brother's advice for once.

His decision was also compounded by ShenLong occupying the lounge with the TV on a few decibels too loud. Not wanting to get into an unnecessary argument with the man – which was bound to happen if he challenged him – Kenji decided to grab his coat and head outside to get some fresh air.

He laced up his boots on the veranda, glancing over to where Alice and Uriko were putting the finishing touches to their snowman, both looking particularly proud of themselves. He could see Long on the other patio offering positive commentary over their creation. Uriko finished placing the last pebble on the crisp white face to form a rather jaunty smile.

His boots now firmly on, Kenji made his way over to the girls, who acknowledged his approach with a friendly wave.

"What do you think?" Uriko asked him.

"You've done a good job," he said as he took in the snowman close up. He could see that the eyes were made from large walnut shells and the nose was a stumpy, misshapen carrot. He wasn't sure where they'd got them from, but they seemed to add a special touch to their creation. It might have been a little odd looking all in all, but that seemed to make it all the more charming.

Uriko took off her own scarf and wrapped it around the snowman's neck. "Here, you can borrow this for a little while," she told the inanimate man, who just carried on smiling his jaunty smile.

Alice tapped her lip, contemplating the snowman. "He could really do with some arms. Maybe there are some branches around here that could work."

Uriko grinned. "Okay! Let's get him some arms! Come on, Kenji! Help us!" And she bounded off in search of branches.

"I see you were quickly drawn in to help," Long said to the young man. "Though how can one refuse?"

"I'd like to meet a person who couldn't be swept up by her enthusiasm," Kenji said, a warm smile settling on his face.

"It is almost like an inescapable tidal wave. Though who would complain when it comes from such a lovely force of nature?"

Only a heartless creature would turn away from such a sweet and lively person such as Uriko. Certainly, she could be quite the handful with her over-eagerness, but you had to admire her constant dedication to all those around her. Though he wouldn't say so out loud, Kenji admired many of her qualities – traits that he wished he had himself.

Deciding that he was quite happy to ride her wave of enthusiasm, Kenji joined in the search for branches. Though a lot of the debris from the blizzard had been cleared away by Momoyama's efficient little army, there were still a few scattered about the place of all different shapes and sizes, though it was hard to decide which seemed the perfect arm shape to fit their snowman.

Uriko picked up two reasonably long branches, biting her lip thoughtfully as she glanced between one fairly chunky one and another almost gnarled, spiky thing. She turned to her sister who wasn't too far away in her own search. "What do you think: chunky or thin?"

"You don't want them too big," she advised, leaning down to pick up what seemed to be quite a nice branch for the job. "And if it's too heavy, it'll likely make him unstable. And we don't want any more accidents with Mr. Snowman."

"True." Uriko tossed her branches aside, neither of them right for what they needed.

"How about these?" Kenji asked, retrieving two fairly sized branches. Neither too thin or two thick, and they even had ends that resembled little hands. They might not have had the same amount of fingers on each, but they were relatively the same in appearance.

Uriko was thoroughly excited, hardly containing herself as she practically bounced with each step towards Kenji. "They're perfect! Don't you think so, Sis?"

"Great job, Kenji!" Alice commended, discarding the branches she'd found in favour of his.

They returned to the snowman, implanting the 'arms' on either side. With the branches in place, he was now complete. Alice placed an arm across Uriko's shoulders as she stared lovingly at their creation.

"Isn't he wonderful, Master Long?" Uriko said as she glanced back towards him.

Long offered a smile and a nod. "He certainly is. You did a great job."

Just then, Shina and Cronos returned. The young cat was still firmly in her grasp, tucked within the warmth of her arm. He seemed to enjoy being carried around and made no effort to struggle. The pair noticed the others around the frosty creation and made their way over. The moment Uriko's eyes locked onto the cat, the snowman was instantly forgotten. With a squeak of delight, she bounded up to greet her companions.

"Oh my gosh! He's so cute!" The cat-girl exclaimed. Nobody was surprised by her instant attachment to the little guy. They had an affinity after all. "Where did you find him?"

"Up a tree, hanging on for dear life," Shina said, handing the cat to Uriko. He seemed as pleased to be in her company as she was in his. He purred and nudged her face with his nose as she giggled with joy, gently cuddling him to her chest.

"Jeanne rescued him very bravely," Cronos told them. "He was up at a great height. She risked injury to make sure he was carried down unharmed."

Shina laughed, slightly embarrassed, trying to brush it all off. "It wasn't so special. I just climbed up a tree and helped him back down. He might have found a way down eventually, but I didn't want to leave it to chance."

"What he's doing all the way out here?" Alice pondered, gently petting the little cat's head from over Uriko's shoulder. "It's a long way out in the middle of nowhere for a pet. I wonder if he's lost?"

"No idea," Shina said with a shrug. "He doesn't have a collar on. Maybe we should ask Momoyama about him later. First, I think he needs something to eat. He's had quite the ordeal."

"We have some tinned fish, don't we?" Uriko asked Alice.

She nodded. "Yes, I think so. I packed pretty much everything I had in the cupboards at home. Let me get one of my scarves and a bowl and we can set him up on the porch. I don't think Momoyama would appreciate it if we took him inside."

Taken into the care of Nonomura sisters, the young cat was whisked away towards the cabin. Long left the veranda and approached the three left stood by the snowman.

"I see Uriko and Alice have been busy," Shina said, indicating the snowman. "Not bad at all."

"Yes, they have put a lot of hard work into their new friend," Long said with a smile, which soon slipped when he noticed Cronos's troubled expression. "Is something wrong, your highness?"

"I was wondering if either of you happened to see a little girl pass through here at any point," he asked. "I came upon a girl when Jeanne was rescuing the little cat. She was very distressed but ran away before I could offer assistance."

"I was in the cabin for most of the time, so I probably wouldn't have seen anything," Kenji said.

"I am afraid no girl has passed through here at any point," Long informed them.

Cronos sighed. "I see."

Shina placed an assuring hand on the Prince's shoulder. "Try not to worry too much, Cronos. I'm sure she'll turn up."

"I just hope she will be okay. I would hate to think of anything happening to her while she was in such a state."

"As I said before, we can report it to Momoyama if we don't see or hear anything otherwise. Now, how about we get a light lunch? All that walking has made me kind of peckish."

Cronos nodded agreeably, though he couldn't quite shake off his solemn thoughts.

"I think I'll take a little walk myself," Kenji said. "If I see a little girl around, I'll let you know."

"Thank you," Cronos said, feeling reassured, even if only a little. The pair then headed back to their cabin.

"You're welcome to come along if you like," Kenji offered to Long.

"I think I have had my fill of the cold for a while. A hot drink and a book is an appealing thought right now," he decided. "Thank you for the invitation anyway."

"Okay, enjoy your afternoon as well." In some ways, Kenji didn't mind taking a walk alone. It would be nice to enjoy some peace and quiet while taking in the local landscape. He thought it might stir up some pleasant memories of his early childhood.

Long walked back towards the cabin, though suddenly thought to ask Kenji if he had enough reading material for the vacation. He knew from all the years he knew the young man that he went through books like no man's business, absorbing both fact and fiction in quick succession. As he turned, the words ready on his lips, he quickly realised the boy was long gone.

 _Moving with the silence and efficiency befitting a ninja..._ Long smiled and returned to the cabin.

* * *

ShenLong concluded that most daytime television programmes consisted of morons babbling on as if they had some iota of intelligence. Why was it that a group of people spent so long sitting around arguing about the best way to make dumplings? Or the better question was why had he sat so long watching these people going on about something so fundamentally dull? He was sure there were plenty of pathetic fools out there who were fantastical about creating all kinds of dumplings, and thus why they deemed it necessary to create such a tedious programme. A dumpling was a dumpling to him. Simple food, simple flavours. He couldn't give two shits about whether you could add some random exotic spice in to add the 'taste of a foreign land'. He just wanted to stick his hands through the television and throttle the pretentious assholes.

Though the more he scoffed and riled at the television, the more stupid he felt. He could have so easily changed the channel earlier, but then again, after copious amounts of channel surfing, he'd come to realise that there really wasn't a lot on. And he'd rather take the cookery programme over some reruns of a sappy romantic sitcom.

 _You really have nothing better to do..._

He could have gone outside to train, but he didn't really enjoy the cold. Maybe he could have read one of Nagi's magazines about rock bands or motorcycles, but he didn't really have an invested interest in either. It was then he realised he was probably destined to spend most of his vacation vegetating in front of the television. Not that it was the worst thing he could be doing.

He hadn't really given the whole vacation itself much deeper thought. Just spending a bit more time with Nagi had been at the forefront of his mind. He hadn't factored in that he might end up sat on his own for hours while she gallivanted off elsewhere in the wilds of Japan.

 _Why can't it be night already? All the best shit comes on TV at night. I want explosions, unrealistic sexual encounters and cheesy one-liners._

His train of thought was broken when the front door opened. His attention completely off the TV, he turned to watch Shina and Cronos step inside, somewhat a little disappointed it wasn't Nagi returning. They removed their boots in the doorway, setting them aside so they didn't trudge too much snow passed the entranceway.

ShenLong glanced at the clock. He was surprised that a couple of hours had gone by in almost an instant. "Had enough of nature already?" He asked, not really caring about the answer.

"Have you been in front of the TV this whole time?" Shina said, ignoring his question.

"What's it to you? If I want to sit here while you two go out and stare at the snow, that's my business," he said, reclining back more comfortably, not that his interest was reignited at the goings on in TV land.

She rolled her eyes. "I needn't have asked. I don't actually care how you waste your vacation."

"Good. Now if you don't mind, you're talking over the TV." He started channel hoping again, knowing full well it was all in vain.

Shina and Cronos shared a glance, the former taking a deep breath as she told herself not to bother any further with him. Letting the tiger do as he pleased, they meandered over to the kitchen, with the young Prince taking a seat at the island bar.

"So, what shall we eat?" She asked him, opening a cupboard nearby. "I could put some soup on or something."

"That sounds nice," he said, though there was only a little enthusiasm in his voice.

She wanted to tell him to cheer up, but she was sympathetic to his feelings. It must have been tough to see a little girl so upset and then have her run away when he tried to help. He wasn't used to such encounters. He overburdened himself with his regrets sometimes, though from his tumultuous life, he certainly had plenty of those. She decided on focusing on cheering him up. But first, she was going to make a pot of tea. If there was one way to kick start a good mood, it was definitely over tea.

* * *

With Alice and Uriko thoroughly occupied with the cat, Long and Xion had taken up root on the couches, sat with their own assortment of books as they soaked up the quiet inside the cabin. They'd pulled the large curtain around the lounge area to trap in the heat of the log fire. After Yugo mentioning the whole situation with the heating system from the night prior, they didn't want to trigger it to turn off and it end up with the cabin being cold again late at night.

Having lived in a cave for years, Long was hardly fazed at all by the cold. He didn't particularly enjoy it, but having experienced the harshest of weather conditions, he was pretty much primed for anything at this point. He hadn't even noticed that the heating had turned off for a brief period during the night.

But it was nice to have the luxury of comfort and warmth, and he revelled in it as he turned the page of his book – an insightful piece of work about China in the 7th century – glad to have time away from teaching the martial arts and helping out in the local library. His life wasn't exactly the most exciting or overcomplicated in general at this point. Certainly it was the case that every so often he was drawn into one Zoanthrope disturbance or another, but aside from those instances, everything was fairly peaceful. But even he needed a change of scenery sometimes, even if it was just to read a book in a new environment. Though he well prepared to be dragged into whatever other adventures his companions wanted to embark on during the vacation.

There was a tinkling-beep sound, and Long raised his eyes towards Xion. The young man had been engrossed in his own book – some history-ladened thing bound in an old leather cover where the words had long since become unreadable – when the sound drew his attention to his pocket. He pulled out his phone to read the message he had just received.

Long didn't own a cell phone. Some thought he was probably a little behind the times, but he just didn't see the necessity in getting one. If he needed to know something he'd find out at the library or read a newspaper. Xion had purchased one for numerous purposes, though not for the same reasons as most young people had one these days. His passive expression seemed to soften a tad as his eyes glanced across the screen. Long knew who it was. Besides, it wasn't as if many people sent him messages anyway.

"I suppose she is checking up on you while you are away," the Chinese man said, the words coming out with a teasing lilt. Xion's icy blue glanced up at his companion, saying nothing. Long looked back down at his book, not hiding his smile.

Long had spent a lot of time on his own and had found companionship initially an uncomfortable challenge, though it had been quite the growing experience to watch over others, especially when they needed his help. After taking Xion in, he soon found himself having to deal with another person who needed looking out for. It had been by chance that the two men had been out eating at one of Long's favourite Vietnamese cafes when they'd come face to face with a dishevelled Uranus just stood in an old basketball court on a shortcut home. Some hoodlums had been fleeing the scene when they arrived, leaving an unconscious member of their ranks behind. They may have thought she was an easy target for whatever nefarious scheme they'd been planning. Of course, they'd been wrong.

Uranus was in a riled state, not needing any excuse to start a brawl with them. She might have had her deadly powers at her disposal, but she wasn't in the right frame of mind to give them a legitimate fight. It had been Xion who'd landed a well placed kick that had knocked her down completely. She didn't seem particularly angry about being defeated. She was despondent and clearly confused. Long knew she had clearly needed their help. While she was dazed and docile, they'd carried her between them back to Long's home.

Uranus was an enigma. Even she didn't know where she'd come from, having no memories before she'd appeared during the incident with the tabula. There were many stories that floated around about her. She was a time traveller, an escaped experiment, a clone, even a God personified! At the end of the day, it didn't matter who she was or where she'd come from, she was there now and needed help. She had nothing and nobody in this world.

It wasn't an easy fix – even now she was still tetchy and prone to random bursts of insanity – but they came to unearth a woman buried beneath the anger and uncertainty who was genuinely warm and intelligent. Cleaning her up had been the easiest part, trying to fix the unknown amount of damage in her mind was not something either Long or Xion were really qualified to do, but even still, they did what they could to make her more settled. They had to remind her that she didn't need to fight to survive.

Xion had been the most dedicated to helping her. He'd applied what he'd learned from his own time under psychiatric care to help her fragile state. Long had felt some pride over Xion turning a corner, showing that even he had overcome the negative aspects of his life to do good for someone else. He found it fascinating to see two volatile people sat quietly together, with Xion on many occasions reading out loud any book he could get his hands on, with her listening quietly and intently, sat cross-legged to the side of him.

She had only stayed with them for a short time, mainly because it was too cramped for all three of them to co-exist in Long's small home, as well as the fact that she'd craved her own space to try and get her head around what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. Long had pulled a few strings; he still had a few old contacts that owed him favours from the darker days of his youth. They were dodgy people in some respects, but they were far from dangerous, and they definitely weren't going to say no to him of all people. He managed to get her a little furnished apartment not too far from his home, set her up with some work and gave her the number of someone who had more experience on dealing with a damaged mind – someone freelance and private – a person she could talk to if she needed to so she didn't fall back into bad habits. It might have been strange to see the likes of Uranus trying to become just your average person on the street, but seeing as Xion – even with his track record – was trying to normalise himself as well, Long hardly found any of it surprising at all.

The elder man only saw her on the odd occasion now. It was Xion who regularly went to visit her. His interest in her something he didn't divulge, but certainly Long thought there might be something more going on, but he wasn't going to assume anything at this point. It would all eventually reveal itself in good time.

"She broke a tap," Xion said after a moment of silence. "She wanted to know who could fix it."

"Send her that number you saved from when we had that problem with the water pipe. He was not very expensive to hire."

Xion nodded and began tapping away in response to her message.

"You saw her a few days before we came here," Long said. "How has she been doing?"

"She seemed fine. She does still have random temper outbursts, but she doesn't break anything anymore." He glanced up. "I think the tap was an accident though; probably just bad luck."

"She has come a long way in such a short amount of time. She just needed the right guidance."

There was no disputing that.

They heard the front door open and feet patter hurriedly into the kitchen area. A few cupboard doors opened and closed in systematic fashion before the water was turned on at the sink. They both knew it was Uriko rushing around. Not just by the way her steps sounded in that clumsy skittering style of hers, but also based on her scent. The latter was something Long picked up on more prevalently than Xion, though they both could easily pick up her energy as well. It was completely confirmed when she peeked her head through the curtains.

"Are you okay in here?" Uriko checked; her face was flushed from running in from the cold to the warmth.

"We are fine," Long assured.

"You're very loud," Xion commented calmly albeit pointedly at her.

Uriko blushed. "Sorry, I just wanted to get a bowl of water for the kitty."

"Are you going to let Madame Momoyama know about the cat soon?" Long asked.

"Alice is going to walk over in a while. We're just making him a little home on the porch for now. We're going to build him a little house out of a box!"

"He is a very lucky cat. Though I hope he can be reunited with his owner soon if he has one. It does seem like it will be a very cold winter."

"Yeah, I don't want the little guy to freeze," she said. "But I will do my best to make him comfortable until he finds his way home." After that, she left them again, sorting out the bowl of water before rushing back outside.

* * *

Kenji had spent the whole afternoon wandering around the woodland area, reminiscing quietly on times gone by. Despite all the tough times in his childhood when he underwent ninjutsu training, he had grown up in such a peaceful environment far away from the chaos of the city. His brainwashing had taken away a lot of his cherished memories, but there were still fragments that remained strong within him. The scents from the white oaks and the wild flora reminded him of a time and place that had been a whole lot more innocent and peaceful.

He kept his eyes out for the little girl, but he never saw her – or anyone else for that matter during his walk. He didn't mind not seeing another soul out there. It just meant he could enjoy the scenery by himself.

He spent time not only strolling the long paths, but jumping freely between the trees, putting his ninja skills to good use. To catch the crisp breeze through his hair, to see the untainted lands pass beneath him, he felt well and truly free, unburdened by reality. It was times like this he had forgotten what it was like to be alive. It was all good and well striving with diligence to build a secure future, but when he was spending almost every waking hour working flat out in both education and with the W.O.C., he was forgetting how to enjoy himself, to appreciate the world around him outside of the classrooms and offices. For just a moment, none of it mattered anymore.

He'd enjoyed sitting at the top of one of the tallest trees, observing the scenery with quiet contentment. The vegetation with its frosted snow coating spread out for long miles into the horizon. The contours of landscape mostly free from any sort of human interference were beautiful. Simplicity could be its own grandeur.

When the hunger started to kick in later that day, he headed back to the cabins. By that time the sun was starting to drift lower in the sky. By the time he returned, Yugo's Jeep was just pulling up after his afternoon group excursion. He went to greet them as they stepped out of the car. Alice, who'd still been on the veranda with Uriko, went over as well while the latter continued to sit with the cat.

"Hey guys," Yugo greeted, "you had a good afternoon?"

"We have a new little friend," Alice told him.

"Besides the snowman?"

"Come see," she said, dragging him over towards the veranda.

Gado and Jenny stepped out of the Jeep, ladened with bags – though it did seem like most of them belonged to her, and he was just a designated carrier. Nagi had one small bag of her own.

"Was it a good trip?" Kenji asked them.

"It was very nice," Gado said. "The countryside around here is quite breathtaking." Kenji nodded knowingly. "The town was more than I expected. For such an out of the way place, they have plenty to do. It was nice blend of old and new Japan."

"I see."

"There were so many wonderful shops," Jenny informed him. "It was surprising that even though it wasn't a tourist hotspot it was able to cater so well to the avid shopper." Her eyes swept over the bags in both her and Gado's hands. "I am now the proud owner of some of the finest Japanese silk and local cut jewels." Kenji wasn't so naive to believe she paid for most of it herself. The way Jenny had cast a loving look towards her beau as he gave her a strained smile was enough to indicate his wallet had taken a beating.

As the pair wandered towards to their cabin, Nagi sidled over. "I feel for him," she told Kenji with a lowered voice. "She dragged him around the shops for hours after we had lunch. I just bought some snacks and went to sit watching some kids walking a fat duck around on a leash."

"A fat duck... ?"

"Yeah, you needed to see it to believe it."

"Oh, Nagi!" Gado called back. "Can you get the barbeque out of the trunk?"

"Barbeque?" Kenji raised an eyebrow to her.

She sighed and called back: "Okay!" She glanced at the teen. "Yeah, for some reason he thought it would be great if we all sat outside cooking meat in the depths of winter. I suppose he was inspired by the street vendors or something. I honestly don't see this being an enjoyable experience." Leaving Kenji to furrow his brow slightly with confusion, she went to retrieve the aforementioned barbeque. It was a small shiny black thing which she could easily carry under one arm. In the other hand, she grabbed a small bag of charcoal.

On the veranda, Yugo stared in surprise at the little cat who poked his little head out of the box to stare up at the unfamiliar face. The bedding was a cluster of scarves, which it was happily nested within. The cat quickly grew bored of Yugo and settled back down.

"How does a cat even get this far out here? Besides the one we drove in the back of the Jeep..." He eyed Uriko playfully, who just stuck her tongue out in response.

"Who knows," Alice said with a shrug. "Maybe one of the other guests smuggled a cat in without telling anyone and he's escaped. Whatever the case, I've told Momoyama. She's coming along later to see him."

"I hope that's the case, I don't want to think someone abandoned him out here," Uriko said, petting his head. He purred in response.

"Well, at least he won't go hungry and cold tonight," Yugo said to assure them. "He can share in the barbeque food." The girls gave him blank stares. "For once, the stupid idea wasn't mine."

"I heard that, Yugo," Gado said as he came up behind him. "Besides, it was a cheap deal."

"Because it isn't summer," Nagi said, placing the barbeque at the top of the steps.

"You kids have no sense of adventure. I remember the good old days of camping out in the coldest, harshest environments, cooking food over an open fire."

"Yes, dear, but you were a lot younger then," Jenny teased, pinching Gado's cheek when he gave her a stiff look. "Besides, I don't think it's because they have no sense of adventure. They have a different sense in the situation: commonsense."

"Oh, I don't know," Alice cut in. "I suppose I'll try anything once."

"I'll keep you warm," Yugo said, wrapping his arms around her. She gave an 'aww' in response and snuggled against his chest.

Nagi headed back over towards the other cabin, greeted by ShenLong, Shina and Cronos as they all stepped out with hearing the group return. She gave a salute of greeting to the three.

"What did you buy me?" ShenLong asked upfront, grinning cheekily.

"Snacks," she told him. "Lots of alcohol accompaniments." That seemed to please him and he greeted her with a big hug. "But you can't have any yet. We're supposed to be having a barbeque."

"A barbeque?"

"Whose idea was that?" Shina asked with a scowl.

"Your father's," Nagi confirmed. "You should see the gear he's bought."

"Wow. I leave him alone for part of a day and he's already making stupid impulse purchases." She sighed heavily. "It's that damn woman. She's a bad influence on him."

"I have never had a barbeque before," Cronos interjected. "Not that I remember anyway."

ShenLong shook his head at him. "No TV, no barbeque. What do you actually do besides sitting in a palace and polishing your silver spoons?"

"Don't be a dick, ShenLong," Shina huffed, stepping down off the veranda. Cronos followed after her as she stomped over to where her father was with the others. "What's this I hear about a barbeque? Are you losing your mind?!"

Gado ignored her, focusing on getting the bags through the door. "Ah, Shina, there you are. Give me a hand with some of these bags." He'd left some behind on the veranda, extras he'd gone back to retrieve from the Jeep.

Shina paid no mind to the bags, carrying on with her same line of questioning. "Did you forget we are surrounded by snow?"

Jenny clucked her tongue, giving her a playful glare. "Are you going to just stand there watching your father struggle while you splutter on so indignantly?"

"Says you carrying next to nothing," she snapped back, but the other woman had already walked off into the cabin, not even waiting for her response. Shina wanted to chew through her lip, but instead she simply grumped up onto the veranda and grabbed all the bags left behind and followed them inside.

Cronos gave an awkward look to the others before wandering over to Uriko. "How is he doing?" He asked, referring to the cat.

"He's good! He's sleepy now since he ate a big meal."

"That reminds me," Kenji said, his stomach growling. "I'm hungry."

"If you can hold out," Yugo said as he indicated to the barbeque. "We can all partake in this experiment." He picked up the equipment as Gado stepped back out. Behind him, they could all hear the bickering going on between the leopard and the bat. Nobody was keen to interrupt them.

Gado took the barbeque from him. "There's a shelter just behind the two cabins. We can set it up there. Follow me with the charcoal, Yugo."

* * *

It was a short time later, just on the cusp of dusk when the barbeque was lit and already starting to cook some of the meat they had in stock. The twelve of them were gathered around close to the wooden shelter, which had two carved logs on either side for people to sit – though Jenny did so with a cushion beneath her, so not to ruin her clothes as she said. This riled Shina into a short lived dispute that fizzled out when Gado started serving up the sausages. He was running the barbeque between himself and Alice, who was mostly learning as she went along. She kept a firm eye on the meat to make sure it didn't overcook. On one log sat Jenny with Long and Xion, and on the other, was Nagi, ShenLong, Cronos and Uriko. Everyone else was standing around, enjoying food when they were given it, or waiting patiently to be the next served.

Besides a few grumbles about how cold it was, the winter barbequing experience wasn't all that bad. And they were all pretty close to the warmth of the barbeque, so they weren't completely without a heat source to cosy up to.

A short time on, Momoyama appeared.

"You were always an odd one, Gado," she remarked as she came upon the group scene.

He chuckled. "I call it adventurous. You're welcome to join us."

"I just ate... but thanks," she said, turning her attention towards Alice. "I'm here about the cat."

"Oh, he's over here," she said, pointing towards Uriko who had brought the box over to join them. The teen had been feeding the little guy bits of her chicken.

Momoyama went over, hands folded behind her back as she looked down at the little tortoise shell, who was mostly focused on Uriko, in case she wanted to give him more food.

"I recognise him," the old woman said, adjusting her glasses. "He's been hanging around here for about a month. Probably has a little hidey-hole somewhere out here that he goes back to. Probably an orphan dumped when he was young, though he does seem friendly if he's letting you pet him, so I could be wrong."

"That's sad," Uriko lamented, giving him more food. He wasn't going to turn his nose up at all this gourmet pampering.

"There aren't any local animals shelters around here," Momoyama went on. "Such a shame people can be so heartless when it comes to pets. Though I don't expect anyone will be coming back for him now, not after all this time. Not heard of anyone losing a cat from the nearest town either."

"What's going to happen to him then?" Alice asked just as she put some pork chops onto a plate for Yugo. "He was almost in an accident today. If it wasn't for Shina, he could have had a nasty fall."

Momoyama pondered. "He seems like a survivor. He managed to get through last night's blizzard unharmed. Must have been hiding under one of the cabins near the heating pipes." She bent over the box. "But winters are tough up here, and there isn't always food around. I suppose he needs someone to look out for him." She eyed Uriko. "Have you given him a name?"

Uriko seemed a little surprised. "Oh, uh... no... But I kind of like Shimo..."

"Shimo..." Momoyama grunted, and reached out a hand out to the cat. He looked up at her for a moment before nuzzling her fingers affectionately, even giving one digit a lick with his rough tongue. The old woman chuckled to herself. "Shimo is good. But you shouldn't spoil him too much, or he'll become greedy... but I suppose this once he can relish in it after his little bit of trauma."

"Will you look after him?" Uriko asked.

Momoyama didn't look at her, instead, she just pet 'Shimo's' chin. "He can stay for now, as long as he's good. He can live in my cabin. I don't want him staying in the other ones. Kinoshita wouldn't appreciate that."

"That's sort of what we thought," Alice said, knowing they'd been right not to take him inside despite the cold temperatures. "But I am relieved that he'll have somewhere to stay."

Momoyama reached down to pick up the box. Shimo was a little uncertain of what was going on, not sure if he wanted to leave yet, no when there was a further promise of food.

"Here!" Alice said wrapping some cooked chicken in foil. "He can take this with him."

Momoyama took the food, nodding her head in thanks. Shimo sniffed at the foil, which distracted him from everything else. Before she could turn to leave, Cronos suddenly stood.

"Excuse me, Madame Momoyama," he said, gaining her attention.

"You're the Prince, am I right?" She asked.

He paused, before nodding. "Yes, I am."

"Don't they feed you?" She asked, cocking at head at his limber frame. He was slightly aghast, not sure how to respond.

"Rude much?" Shina cut in.

Momoyama laughed the sound rough in her throat. "It has never been my place to pussyfoot around people. I don't deal with fragile egos." She gazed at Cronos. "You wanted to ask me something?"

"Oh, uh, yes," he said, finding his voice again. "I noticed a little girl earlier when I was out walking with Jeanne. She was very distressed, though I was unable to assist her as she ran away so suddenly. I am concerned about her welfare and wondered if anyone had reported a missing girl?"

"Oh, I know who you mean," the old woman said, surprising him. "She has come to the cabins with her family. She does tend to wander off like a zombie, breaking down crying frequently. She is a disturbed child, I'm afraid. But you can rest at ease. Nobody has reported her missing. She must have found her way back at some point."

"I see," Cronos said. "Well, it does ease my mind."

Momoyama nodded and turned to Gado. "Enjoy your food." And with that, she left with Shimo.

Shina shook her head. "Was she always so curt and tactless?"

Gado smiled. "Always."

"Has everyone got enough food?" Alice asked not certain if they'd cooked enough to go around.

"Is there anymore steaks?" ShenLong asked, taking a sip of a bottle of beer.

"I can put more on."

"Good."

"How about 'please'?" Yugo directed at the clone tiger, who gave him a dry look in response.

"Don't worry about him," Nagi said to Alice. "We're working on the manners." ShenLong gave her a coarse look, which she countered with a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you anyway," she said back to the rabbit.

"It's no trouble."

Within half an hour everyone's plates were almost empty and drinks were passed around, both hot and cold. They took in the twilight under the stars, with only a small amount of light filling the grove from the security lights on the side of the cabins. Long and Xion made quiet conversation on their side, the latter every so often looking over towards Nagi, who had turned in a position so not to have to look at him or even acknowledge his existence as she and ShenLong conversed amongst themselves. Gado had packed away the barbeque and was sat cosily with Jenny, sharing old stories with Yugo who was leaned on the back of their log about some of his times dealing with Momoyama, particularly when she was in a bad mood. Uriko and Kenji had wandered off in the direction of the snowman while they chatted – well, really it was just her blabbering at him about any random thing that came into her head while he listened patiently.

Alice sat down with a drink of her own next to Cronos, taking up the seat Uriko had vacated. "How was your chicken? Was it cooked to your liking?"

"Oh, yes, thank you," he replied. "It was nice to try it cooked in a different style."

She offered him a warm drink of cocoa, which he accepted, and she poured into a large cup that they'd brought out from the cabin. "You never did mention why Shina became your bodyguard," she suddenly recalled. "I'm really curious."

"Oh, I did say that I was going to tell you. Though, now that I think about it, it really is not a remarkable story."

Shina sat down on the back of the log. "Ganesha got the boot." She said candidly.

Alice seemed surprised. "He did?"

"I'm not sure if you remember, but he hadn't exactly been completely loyal to Cronos."

"It was not his loyalty that was the issue," Cronos clarified. "I think he seemed to imagine he could... well, save me..."

"From what?" Alice enquired, noticing his awkward expression.

"Myself."

Alice opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again, realising what he meant. The Phoenix; a beast of unpredictable power and strength. It was a creature that caused destruction wherever it went.

"I understand his intentions were not wholly unkind," he continued. "But I suppose the damage that was done to his village all that time ago..." He didn't even have to finish the sentence for them to know who exactly had caused that damage. The guilt in his face was saddening. Then again, it was something he had divulged already in minimal details to Shina. She laid a hand on his shoulder supportively. "... But he was misguided. He thought he could destroy it. He was afraid of what else may happen because of it. My father decided he was better off serving in the temple indefinitely, until he decided if he could be trusted again."

"Oh, so, do you have another personal bodyguard now?" Alice asked.

"I have multiple bodyguards, but none are in the same sort of position. He was a good companion, and I do miss him, but I find it difficult now to have someone in that position. Not out of fear of betrayal, but with the fear of doing something to hurt them and losing their trust."

"I understand."

"So I'm just a rent a bodyguard, so to speak," Shina said with a grin, trying to cut through the maudlin atmosphere.

"She was very persuasive to my father," he said, giving her a fond look. "I had never seen him so amiable."

"I just made it clear he owed his son a proper vacation after everything he'd put him through," Shina said proudly. They all knew how the situation had panned out regarding the fighting tournament held at the Zoanthrope Kingdom. Cronos had been an unwitting protector to his father's plan. When the truth had finally been revealed, the young man had been devastated, in complete disbelief that his father would ever put him in such a position. "There was no way he was going to be able to properly enjoy himself being flanked by a load of miserable, strict bodyguards. I said as his oldest friend I'd protect him with my life."

"I suppose with Shina as your bodyguard, you're not quite so constrained," Alice considered.

He nodded. "Yes. I suppose it helped my case that she said that the vacation would be a practical education. I promised my father I would not do anything to disgrace myself or the family name."

"I'm sure you won't!"

"Hopefully we won't corrupt him too much," Shina said with a wink, causing the rabbit to chuckle and the young Prince to shake his head with good humour. There was even a hint of blush in his cheeks.

"Hey listen, guys!" Yugo called out, grabbing everyone's attention. "Gado just reminded me. There is going to a new year's festival in the town tomorrow. Hot food, fireworks, games..."

"But it's not new years day anymore," ShenLong pointed out.

"Some places have celebrations that can go on for days, or are held later for other reasons," Gado informed him. "I think would be good if we all went to join in the celebrations."

"It does sound wonderful," Jenny said eager for another chance to go to the town.

"Will there be alcohol?" ShenLong asked.

"Is that all you think about?" Shina said, narrowing her eyes at him, which he promptly ignored.

"It's a high possibility," Gado informed him.

"Well, why not then," the clone tiger said. Nagi didn't need any other such persuasion to want to join in. Any chance to party was always welcomed.

"It would be nice to participate in local culture and customs," Long said, and then turned to Xion. "It would make a nice change of scenery as well."

"Yeah, you don't want to stay cooped up in the cabins the whole vacation," Alice put in.

Xion just nodded, silently agreeing to go. Nagi looked less than impressed, but said nothing otherwise, refraining from causing a scene.

Uriko and Kenji rejoined the group at this point, and when the excursion was suggested to them, the former squealed with excitement.

"That sounds like fun!" The cat-girl bounced up and down with delight. "I can't wait!"


	5. Emblazed

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.**

 **Chapter 5: Emblazed  
**

The next morning was a rather relaxed one with most of the cabin's occupants vegetating, either reading or watching television. With a long evening planned out, nobody wanted to expend too much excess energy beforehand. When mid-afternoon came, the twelve spruced up and set off for town. It was agreed they'd get there in the late afternoon so they would have chance to get into one of the local establishments to eat before all the revellers arrived for the celebrations.

The roads were relatively empty with only a few cars passing back and forth on the country highways every so often. Thankfully the roads were clear of ice due to the temperature being a tad warmer than the day before. Yugo followed Gado's car around the winding roads, with Shina and Nagi's own cars following behind his. They were their very own little convoy traversing the rural thoroughfare.

"I remember when I was little," Alice said to her beau, "when I visited my grandparent's house in the country, they took me to a festival. I can't remember if it was New Year or not but it was really exciting. They had huge floats with really extravagant paper lanterns on. They were decorated to look like legendary creatures. I remember I got to eat lots of street food, stuff I'd never even heard of. All night we watched the locals dancing in the streets. I even got to sit on my father's shoulders to watch it all. I kept telling him adamantly that I wanted to be a famous dancer." She chuckled in memory of how fixated she had been for weeks on such an idea – well, until the next exciting thing came along to quickly change her mind. "My grandmother brought me a little kimono to wear. It was the prettiest thing in pink and yellow with lots of pretty little flowers on. I really wish I still had a kimono..."

"Maybe we can get you one," Yugo said. "I'd love to see you dressed up like a princess..."

Alice blushed profusely. "Oh Yugo..."

"Smooth..." Uriko said, surprising the pair as she peaked between the seats. Neither had realised she hadn't got her headphones on, but it seemed for the moment she had put them aside along with her handheld gaming device while she appreciated the scenery – which also included their conversation. "Yugo wants to dress you up so he can ogle you, Sis!" Yugo flicked her nose. She squeaked and slapped his shoulder with the oversized sleeve of her sweater.

"Hey! Don't assault the driver!"

"If you don't mind, I would like to get there in one piece without either of you causing us to crash into a ditch," Kenji input without looking up from his book. Uriko stuck her tongue out at the boy before going back to stare at the passing scenery.

A little while later, the crystalline coated fields became dotted with rustic houses, signalling their descent towards the large town in the basin of the valley. When it came it to view, they could see it was a beautiful blend of traditional Japanese architecture with a modern, Western touch. It was even more beautifully decorated by the celebratory lanterns and bunting that adorned the streets. Every house and shop was lit in an array of colours, offering a welcoming embrace to everyone for the festivities to come.

The four cars drove through to park up in a designated area – a field set aside to accommodate the many visitors expected to visit the town that evening. Once parked, the twelve wandered into the heart of the town. It was already fairly busy, people bustling back and forth along the streets, many of whom were locals getting preparations ready for the night's celebrations. After making their way through to the centre of town, the group converged on a family-owned restaurant, which was only just starting to get busy, with only a few diners already inside. They were lucky – though indeed very welcome – for their large group to be accommodated.

The restaurant had a traditional ambience, with lacquered wood panelling on both the walls and floors. There were old narrow boards hung up on one wall with menu choices inscribed in hand painted kanji, which had some wear on them from years of use. There were many hanging scrolls dotted around the place; though slightly weathered at the edges, they still clearly depicted beautiful pictures and insightful mantras.

When greeted, they were escorted to be seated at a low table on an elevated platform at the back of the room. The cushion seats were jacquard embroidered in fine, elegant stitches, seemingly new.

"How refreshing," Cronos commented as they sat down. "I am not usually accustomed to this kind of arrangement when eating."

"What? Is it too common for you, Prince?" ShenLong asked sarcastically, only to be elbowed in the side by Nagi.

"Don't be a dick, ShenLong," Shina said to him from across the table, teeth gritted.

"It's quite the tradition here," Alice told the Prince, ignoring ShenLong's remark. "I think there are many cultures that also do it as well. Though really, it's rare these days not to use Western tables and chairs in places."

"I see," Cronos mused with a nod. "Well, when you are in another country, it is a shame if you never indulge in the little things that come as a part of the culture."

"Shall we order before it gets any busier?" Yugo asked, noticing a few more families coming in to be seated around the restaurant.

In agreement, they began to read through the extensive paper menus that had been brought to the table. After much deliberation, they eventually decided to just order a selection of different foods and share them across the table. It would make the experience cheaper as well as more varied, so that everyone would get a taste of all the different dishes.

They ordered their drinks to start with. It was teas and coffees for the designated drivers – with Alice offering to drive her group back so Yugo could have a beer, which he wasn't going to turn down. Their waiter – who introduced himself as Taro, one of the owners of the restaurant – was quite a ropey-looking man with thinning hair, though he was a fairly jovial character, singing to himself as he took their orders. Once he'd received them, he called the orders over to the counter, where a young woman repeated them back into the kitchen, receiving a grunt of acknowledgement from a large woman leading a small group of cooks working over steaming hot stoves.

In no time at all, Taro and another young waitress brought over their drinks, plus three huge jugs of water. They also received complimentary pickles and miso soups.

"Now if there's anything else you need, don't hesitate to holler over and I'll be right here in a jiffy!" Taro said before going off to take an order from another table.

Jenny raised her glass of red wine to the group. "To a most jubilant evening, my friends." With a 'hear, hear' from Gado, the group raised their drinks, even if Shina did so while rolling her eyes, while ShenLong and Xion remained silent with rather impassive gestures to the sentiment.

Before long their table was brimming with food brought out by Taro and the young waitress. Everyone was given a plentiful bowl of steamed rice to enjoy alongside the many items laid out before them. There was vegetable tempura, a selection of grilled fish – including rockfish and mackerel, stir-fried rice noodles, pan fried strips of tender beef, a vast selection of sashimi and maki sushi, natto, breaded pork cutlets and a big bowl of dressed salad. There was certainly more than enough to feed the group.

The atmosphere between them was mixed between excitement and good humour, with the odd case of ambivalence towards everything going on. Yugo was filling his face with beef and pork, regaling stories of when he used to eat in a very old Japanese eatery back home as a child, which was mostly a commentary about how neither he nor his father had any relevant cooking skills and would usually eat out to avoid the kitchen. He certainly lavished praise over his dear Alice on how her cooking skills were much welcomed, even by his wallet. She gave him a playful pinch for the latter comment.

Cronos remained fascinated by the cuisine, enquiring with Shina what most of the things were. She could fill him in what she recognised or had eaten before, but stuff like natto was outside of her culinary knowledge. It took Nagi to explain what the sticky beans were to him, saying there were 'an acquired taste'. He decided to indulge in them, not quite sure if he liked them or not – the texture baffling his pallet. If anything, he was intrigued.

ShenLong wolfed down anything that was put before him without question.

"Do you even chew your food?" Shina asked him with a frown.

"Do you mind your own business?" He said plainly, taking a large gulp of beer to chase it all down.

She was about to retort when she heard her father clear his throat, giving her a warning glare not to start a fight. She noticed Jenny smirking and she turned away huffing, having to count to ten to stop herself throwing something at the woman's head. "Whatever," she huffed and went back to her strips of salmon.

Nagi turned to Long. "Could you pass me the salad, please?" It ended up being different hands that passed the salad bowl to her. She hadn't noticed at first as she was serving herself some more rockfish as she took the bowl, but quickly found herself locking eyes with Xion, who was the one passing the bowl to her and not Long. There was a brief moment of palpable distaste oozing from Nagi as she stared into the calm blue eyes of the silver-haired man. She was frozen, her brain trying to figure out what to do next – whether to throw the salad back in his face, drop the bowl or just snatch it from his grip.

"Hey, are you finished playing musical statues?" ShenLong snarked at her. "When you have, can I get some salad?"

She glanced back at her beau before turning back to the other man when she felt the weight shift in her hand. Xion had let go of the bowl and had turned back to eating his noodles. She scrunched up her lips, but took the bowl to place between herself and ShenLong. She gave the contents a look of distaste before ShenLong jabbed her in the side. She growled at him, though she was defeated by his stark expression that clearly indicated that she was being petty. She watched him serve himself some salad before deciding to let go of her negativity and put some on her own plate as well.

Jenny leaned against Gado's shoulder, swirling the red wine in her glass. "Like one big happy family, don't you think?" He glanced at her impassively. They both had keenly observed the equal parts joy and good humour set against the awkward tension and distain lingering about. "I'm sure this is like every family gathering ever played out on television."

He huffed, sipping his coffee. "Trust you to take humour out of the simmering drama."

"Don't tell me you aren't intrigued by this entire situation," she softly teased. "It's such a rare occasion to have such people cohabiting together outside of the usual violent confrontations. I find it funny that we sit here together, making small talk, breaking bread... or sushi in this case, and maybe even waiting for something to blow up."

"I'd rather it didn't blow up figuratively speaking," he said solemnly. "As much as I'm sure you'd enjoy viewing it as it all unfolds."

"You seem to think I enjoy misery and chaos..." She had a glint of humour in her eyes. "... Then you'd probably be right. I suppose I find life can be rather boring if it's always just pleasantries."

Gado rolled his eye. "Just as long as you can refrain from goading my daughter too much; I'd rather not have to pick up the pieces after a scrap."

"My dear, you think I would purposely rile your daughter? It's all jest, I assure you." She sipped her wine, a smile never leaving her brightly painted lips. "Besides, she would never stand a chance against me..."

"For once, I'd rather things remain amicable," Gado said, eying the last chunk of fish before him. "I want to have a little bit of peace and quiet on this vacation."

"Peace and quiet? With the fireworks to come?"

He knew that she didn't just mean the festive display anticipated at the end of the night. "Is it too much to ask that I be allowed to unwind without dealing with all these childish spats?"

"My dear, don't let such things bother you so much. And if you need help unwinding, you know I am right here to assist you." Her fingers delicately stroked down the curve of his spine.

He hid a shudder and smiled warmly. At least he had some very sensual nights to look forward to. She did give some of the best massages after all.

There was a crash of pans from the kitchen, disturbing the twelve and every other customer occupying the busy restaurant. The waitresses gave a quick glance towards the voices that suddenly erupted from the kitchen and went back to their work, putting on their best smiles despite the strangely tense atmosphere that had suddenly settled over the establishment.

The young waitress that had helped serve the group's food brought another jug of water over to the table. "Don't worry," she assured. "This happens from time to time. It's over just as quickly as it begins." And just as she said, the outburst ended and everything settled into productive, calm murmurs. She gave an affirmed nod and left to see to another customer.

Taro emerged from the kitchen, dabbing his sweaty brow with his apron. He quickly had to shake off his rage and put back on his most professional face to greet the customers. The good humour seemed to return in a flash and he wandered back around the restaurant, offering banter and making suggestions for dishes to uncertain patrons.

"Peace and quiet, hmm?" Jenny teased Gado.

"At least it wasn't us causing a stir." He decided to serve himself more noodles, ignoring her gaze.

Taro wandered over to their table when ShenLong summoned him. "Another beer and more beef."

"Please," Nagi added, eyeing her beau with an admonishing glare, not that it did much good anyway.

"Right away," he said, going back to the kitchen with the order. After what sounded like a few grumbles amidst the busy clatter of pans, Taro returned, seemingly happy to get out of the kitchen. "I trust that everything else has been okay with your food?" He enquired on his return.

"The food has been excellent," Cronos praised.

"Yes, everything was perfect, thank you," Alice affirmed.

"Can I get you anything else?" Taro asked, rubbing his hands together.

"Could I get a refill on my miso soup?" Alice asked.

"And me, and me!" Uriko clamoured before stuffing her face with more mackerel.

"I think a few of us could do with a refill," Yugo noted, seeing many empty bowls around him.

"You'd all like more?" Taro asked, with most of the table confirming they would. "Good, good, I will get that sorted." He called over the closest waitress, who was returning from another order and asked her to bring another round of miso soups for the table. She complied, returning in due course to replace the empty bowls with full ones.

"Is it always this busy?" Shina asked Taro, who seemed to be lingering around the table – clearly wanting to stay away from the kitchen with the way he gazed in its direction awkwardly every so often.

"Mostly during festival seasons," he said, wiping his brow again. "I'm guessing you're all out for the celebrations tonight?" They confirmed his speculation and he gave a big smile. "I do enjoy this time of year. It might be cold, but everyone is so cheery and ready for a party. We get a lot of foreign tourists, which is nice to see. I've spent many days sprucing this place up ready for the business."

"It must be a profitable time," Long regarded, especially with how packed to the gills the place was.

"Oh yes, it is. But aside the profit, I do enjoy seeing the town busy. And you meet lots of interesting people too, just like you fine folk!"

"TARO!" A holler from the kitchen instantly ceased his good mood.

"The wife screeches," Taro said with a sigh. "And I must go."

"You don't want to keep her waiting, right?" Shina said, grinning at the clearly hen-pecked fellow.

"Trust me, the way she wields a ladle, no man would dawdle. She's usually more... amiable... but on busy days like this, well, she gets a little hot under the collar. Too much time over a hot stove does that to you. Oh well... if you need anything else, don't hesitate to call me back out. _Really_ , don't hesitate." And with that, he begrudgingly scampered away.

"What are we going to do first when we've finished dinner?" Uriko asked, wiping rice from her cheek with her napkin.

"There is so much to do, I don't know what to suggest first," Alice said as she refilled her glass with water. "We could have a look what things the vendors are offering. I thought I saw plenty of games being set up."

"And food!" Uriko piped in. "I want some Takoyaki later!"

"How can you be thinking of food _while_ we're still eating?" Shina eyed her curiously.

"Her stomach is a bottomless pit," Yugo remarked teasingly. "Filled with snakes and drunken businessman."

"Eww! Don't say such gross things!" The cat-girl lobbed a piece of salmon at him, which he surprisingly caught with his chopsticks. Impressed noises sounded around the table, along with a 'good catch' from Gado, and Yugo ate the piece of salmon, nodding proudly to himself. Uriko just stuck her tongue out at him in response.

Shortly after, ShenLong's beef and beer arrived at the table, which he tucked into the instant they were place before him.

"Actually, I think I'd like to visit the shrine first," Alice said, drawing them back to the topic at hand. "Pay my respects and all."

"That sounds like a good start," Long agreed.

"I'd like to take a better look around town," Jenny said.

"You're thinking of more shopping?" Nagi said, knowing that was exactly the answer by her coy smile.

"They said there'll be a small parade passing through at some point," Gado recalled, "with floats and dancing and that sort of thing."

"I imagine it will be truly beautiful," Alice gushed all starry-eyed. "I can't wait to see it all! It will be like being a little girl all over again."

The food-covered table was quickly emptied before they knew it. With stomachs satisfied, they ordered another round of drinks in place of dessert. Taro bustled about them joyously, mostly avoiding the kitchen again, but also on hand to answer their questions about the celebrations. He gave them tips on the best spots to go to view the fireworks and recommended going to listen to the Koto being played near the entrance to the shrine. The player was the daughter of one of Taro's good friends and he lavished praise over her musical talent, enough that most of the group were keen to hear her play and see if she lived up to such acclaim.

After the drinks, they paid for their food and went on their way. Taro and one his waitresses waved them off, wishing them a pleasant night and hoping they'd come back again soon. The sky was awash with twilight colours, the streets becoming busier as more and more people poured out in preparation for the celebrations. Everyone seemed to be dressed for the occasion, wearing bright, fancy clothes. There were many kimono-clad couples walking together, almost as if they'd walked straight out of a traditional painting. Alice, Jenny and Uriko were particularly enthused about all the exquisite designs on display.

The group followed the long street west until they eventually came upon a sharp turning off the road onto a concrete and mud path leading towards a large torii – a traditional gate that stood at the entrance to the town's shrine. Not far from the entrance, sat to one side by a large old stone wall, was a Koto player – the aforementioned young woman Taro had mentioned. She was knelt on a rolled out mat in a fine pale gold kimono embroidered with cranes, her hair finely decorated with delicate pair pins. She was picture perfect, her expression especially flawless as she concentred fully on her music, gently smiling the whole time. Many had stopped to gather not far from the young woman, listening to the Koto sing its own distinctively traditional melody. The plucked strings strummed almost regally, regaling the listeners with a harmony that depicted both sweetness and melancholy.

"I can almost imagine cherry blossoms falling with this music," Alice whispered dreamily to Yugo. "Dancing all the way to the ground with dramatic little twirls." He nodded, maybe not quite having her imagination inspired by the tune, though the music did remind him of old television movies about geisha and samurai.

"There is such sentiment and whimsy in the melody," Cronos admired, turning to Shina. "Such a beautiful sound, you agree?"

"Yeah, I suppose it is. It's quite catchy really," she said with a slight nod. It generally wasn't her thing, but she had to admire a fine artist at work.

"I tried playing the guitar once," Nagi recalled offhand. "Needless to say that didn't last more than a few lessons. The music teacher said I should stick to playing the triangle."

ShenLong snorted with laughter. "You should have garrotted him with one of the strings."

"Believe me, it was _so_ tempting." She cocked her head, giving the music more of her attention. "Listening to this kind of makes me wish I had some talent for it. Making music is such a great gift."

"Hmm..." ShenLong carried on listening in silence, much to her surprise. He hadn't said anything to insult the woman's talent, which was usually his thing. Maybe it was something he actually appreciated with unspoken vigour, not that he would ever openly admit to it.

It was the peaceful way he looked that surprised her, though it was slightly unnerving that she noticed that both he and Long both had the same serene expression listening to the music. Indeed, they weren't so different from each other after all. They did share the same genetics after all. When she noticed Xion looking over at her with curiosity, noting her observant glances between the two men, she gave him a dark glare and turned away, holding her gaze on the Koto player as she tried to settle her thoughts into calm.

When the piece of music came to an end, the gathered audience clapped with appreciation, which was acknowledged with a humble bow of the head by the young woman. A few moments later, she was engaged in another piece, which had a more upbeat tempo.

"Truly lovely," Jenny said with genuine admiration, which was agreed upon by her fellow companions.

"I'm glad we got the chance to hear her play," Alice said with a satisfied sigh. She turned to her beau next to her. "I think I'm ready now to go up to the shrine. Will you come along as well?"

Yugo shrugged, happy to do whatever. "Yeah, sure! Are you coming too, Kenji?"

"Yes, I'll come with you," the younger Ogami brother said.

"Me too, me too!" Uriko piped up, skipping up to latch onto her sister's arm. "I haven't been to a shrine in a long time!"

"I wish to join you in your excursion, if that is okay with you?" Long asked.

Yugo nodded. "Yeah sure; you didn't need to make such a formal request, y'know!"

"I suppose I'll go as well," Xion said.

"Um, okay." Yugo said, not really sure how to react to the man who just seemed to float around in the background not saying much.

"I'm so glad!" Alice said clapping her hands. "The more the merrier!"

"I would like to see the shrine as well," Cronos interjected, turning to Shina as if seeking her permission.

The leopard Zoanthrope had to smile. "Yeah, I wouldn't mind going. It's not something I do very often... if ever actually!"

"Well, I think I'll go check out the street vendors, and see what games and food they've got going on," Nagi said, turning a distasteful eye to Xion. She had in part wanted to go up to the shrine, but knowing he would be going up there as well had put her off completely. She decided she might visit it before the end of the night on her own.

ShenLong thumbed over to his girlfriend. "I'm with her."

"And we're going shopping," Jenny said decidedly, much to Gado's silent dismay. But there was little room to argue with her when she had her mind set on doing something. He merely nodded in agreement to have an easy life. "Shall we meet on the river crossing bridge, the one that Taro gentleman mentioned when informing us about hotspots for the firework display?"

"That sounds like a plan," Yugo said agreeably. "Let's meet there."

"Okay! We'll see you there in about an hour," Alice said, after which, they split off to go their separate ways.

The group of eight headed through the torii and followed the hard mud path around to an expansive set of deep stone steps that climbed up towards the shrine above. The steps had been cleared of snow and gritted for people to traverse without too much risk of slipping. Many people were on their way up to the shrine, wishing to pay their respects to the Gods and make prayers for themselves and their loved ones, or even just to partake in the atmosphere of such a spiritual place and appreciate its symbolic presence in such times of celebration.

Uriko seemed giddy, bouncing on ahead of her companions, taking photos along the way of anything and everything in her line of sight. The others took their time climbing the steps. They were enthusiastic about their visit, but not quite on the levels of the cat-girl. She had more energy than the whole group combined.

When they reached the top, they stopped off to purify themselves at a pavilion, a tradition known as _temizu_. They were obliged to wash both their hands and mouth as part of the custom before approaching the shrine. Cronos was particularly intrigued by the practice, watching Alice and Uriko demonstrate before following their methods himself. Yugo watched Xion sip water from the ladle, making an idle comment to Shina that it was probably going to take a full on dunking to completely purify him. Alice overhearing him, threatened to clock him with the ladle before quietly apologising to any God that might have overheard them, and felt it necessary to purify herself again just in case.

Following their spiritual ablution, the group continued along the walkway, now finding themselves surrounded by old wooden buildings large and small that made up the shrine complex. As dusk had fully settled in, lanterns bathed the area in a soft ethereal glow. There were many people taking pictures by the old monuments or next the doorway leading into the main shrine, soaking up the experience and capturing as many memories of it as they could. Uriko ploughed on ahead to snap a few pictures of the beautiful buildings with their stylish gabled rooftops, even getting Kenji to take a few pictures of her and Alice in front of the stone lanterns – the tōrō – though every few shots Yugo would find a reason to jump into the shot just to annoy them.

They eventually reached the courtyard in front of the main shrine building. It was packed with people, many waiting to give their prayers and receive divine blessings. Miko, young shrine maidens, fluttered about busy with many duties. Their stark white haori jackets and deep red hakama trousers were bright even in the evening light. Some were tiding up and greeting visitors while others were stationed to sell souvenirs, which included beads and paper amulets.

Cronos was the most in awe. "How marvellous; don't you think so too, Jeanne?"

"Uh, I guess so," she said, turning to notice his slightly perplexed expression by her answer. "Oh, don't get me wrong, I appreciate such things, but I don't know all that much about the Shinto religion... or most religions for that matter. I don't exactly share the same sentiments, but I get what these things mean to people in some way."

He seemed to understand. "My experience of religion is extensive, but even I am no expert. There are many types practiced in my country, though I would not be able to tell you much in depth about some of them. I was raised predominantly with Hinduism myself, though admittedly I am not the perfect example of a dedicated practitioner, but I will always appreciate the teachings bestowed upon me even if I do not always follow its examples to the latter." He smiled sheepishly, and she placed a knowing hand on his shoulder, sharing his thoughts and attitude.

"I guess it would be impolite of us not to at least offer a prayer while we're here, right?" She said.

"Oh yes, that would be the honourable thing to do. I always pay my respects when visiting such places. Who knows who might be listening to us?"

"Ninja spies?" Shina said jokingly. He raised a brow at her, slightly bemused. She raised her hands in defence. "Okay, okay, I'll take it seriously."

"You never know who is listening," Kenji whispered behind her, making her jump with a gasp. A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips as she snapped a sharp gaze on him before relaxing with a smile of her own. "You should always be careful of ninja spies."

"Ninja spies indeed," she said with a snort, swallowing back her laughter. Kenji gave her a knowing look before walking away casually to catch up to his brother.

A number of small children – much to their parent's bemusement – had decided to turn the inner yard into a bit of a playground, running around with uninhibited energy and excitement. It just so happened two young girls broke away from the pack and one, while not looking where she was going, ran headlong into Xion's leg. He wasn't particularly fazed by the sudden jolt, simply looking down at the young child – a girl bundled up in a thick hat, coat and scarf; more clothing than person. She shook off her surprise and stared up with abject embarrassment and slight fear at the rather stoic man staring down at her with piercing eyes. He said nothing, and neither did she. An awkward atmosphere quickly intensified, with the little girl almost shrinking like a wilting flower under his sharp eyes. The mother of the little girl ran over and grabbed her by her mitten-clad hand, spluttering out apologies to Xion in utter dismay, all the while bowing over and over before she dragged her still unnerved child away.

Long turned to the silver-haired man. "You must be a surprising spectacle," he remarked, gaining his attention. "Like an imposing silver statue."

Xion quietly huffed. "Even in these places children have no respect, neither for men nor Gods."

"They can be forgiven their exuberance. They are not intentionally disrespectful."

Xion didn't reply and instead walked on ahead, joining Alice who was now close to the front of the main shrine where people were giving their prayers. An elderly woman at the front rang a bell using a thick hanging rope before bowing twice towards a colourful, ornate shrine laid out ahead of her. She clapped twice, bowed once again and finally threw a number of coins into a large collection box.

"What is the bell for?" Xion asked Alice.

"I believe it's to alert the Gods so they will hear your prayers." The queue began to move forward as more people finally reached the front to offer their venerations. "Will you have a go?"

"What God would be interested in listening to me, do you think?" His usually stark gaze appeared to soften as he spoke to her.

"You never know," Alice encouraged, offering a warm smile. "It's always worth a try." Xion returned a small smile of his own.

Cronos and Shina joined the two, the former taking in the rituals performed by the people before them as they gave their prayers at the shrine. "They all seem to offering their prayers in the same manner. Is it a very set procedure to offer worship?"

Shina laid an assuring hand on his shoulder. "If you just keep watching what they're doing, I'm sure you'll quickly master the custom. It's not a contest, you know; you don't have to be perfect."

"I suppose... I just feel nervous that I will do something shameful..."

"Don't worry too much, your highness," Alice said soothingly. "Nobody will be marking you down for merely wanting to offer your own respect to the Gods."

"Come on guys! It's nearly our turn!" Uriko beckoned to the others with the wave of an oversized sleeve; she was already well ahead of them as the crowd started to thin out near the front of the shrine.

"Must she be so loud even here," Xion said stiffly.

"She can get a little over excited at times," Alice explained, giving an indication to her sister with a finger to her lips that she was being a little too loud. Uriko blushed and mirrored a finger to her lips – which peeped out of her large sleeve as a tiny pale digit – in complete understanding.

"Just follow our lead," Yugo said assuredly to the Prince. "We'll show you how it's done."

"I'm surprised you of all people would be an expert on this front, Yugo," Shina remarked with a smirk, clearly surprised.

"I saw my fair share of shrines as a kid. I know the score!"

Shina raised a brow at him before turning to a still uncertain Cronos. She hooked his arm supportively, watching his face soften a little with the reassurance as they approached the shrine, letting Alice and Uriko go ahead when their turn came.

* * *

The streets were alive with people and colour. The street vendors were hard at work selling food and enticing people into traditional games. The smell of rice balls stuffed with pickled plums and fresh mochi permeated the evening air like a sweet perfume. Nagi and ShenLong were sat on two large flat topped rocks set back from the side of the roadway, watching people mill about in groups, enjoying the food and making animated chatter. There were some children nearby playing with kendama, showing off their tricks as they each tried to outdo their friends. They were quite impressive for their young ages with the types of tricks they managed to keep going for minutes on end, clearly having had extensive practice.

Nagi poured out another small cup of sake for ShenLong before pouring one for herself as well, watching the children play for some time, finding humour when they got huffy with each other when a trick didn't go quite right. She really shouldn't have been drinking as she was driving, but she figured, 'why not' – she would saturate herself in coffee at the end of the night before they drove back.

The sake went down a treat in such chilly weather. Despite the odd sharp gust of icy wind that accosted them every so often, they were fairly comfortable sat around outside admiring the scenery. They had picked up a bottle for a reduced price at a sake shop across the way, and she'd purchased a couple of small glasses so they could enjoy the experience together while waiting for the others to return. Nagi may have been a year off legally being able to drink, but she knew nobody was going to question her about it. For a start, she looked old enough anyway.

A short time later, a precession of costumed dancers began to fill the street, parting the crowds with joy and intrigue. They were all clad in traditional costume, performing intricately choreographed moves, leading a group behind carrying large paper lanterns decorated to appear like unworldly creatures and samurai. The children who had been playing with their kendama quickly abandoned their games to follow the parade down the street, in awe of the bright, colourful lanterns.

"The things people get excited about," ShenLong idly commented, tossing back his sake, enjoying the warmth as it disappeared down his throat.

"You're just not very sentimental," Nagi scoffed. "It's nice. Everyone is happy. What's there to be sour about?"

"Who said I was sour?"

"Your unimpressed observation."

He snorted. "I just don't see what all the fuss is about. They're just a load of lanterns with faces on them."

"Some might say that it is art."

"Some might say that it is people with too much time on their hands."

She scowled at him. "Are you deliberately being obtuse?"

"Possibly. And I'm surprised you know what obtuse means." He grinned at her, much to her annoyance. She took a swipe at him and completely missed, stoking his amusement further. "But really, I just don't see the appeal of such gaudy things. But yeah... whatever makes people happy, I guess."

She sighed, shaking her head with disappointment. "You just stick to your alcohol..."

"I will." He served himself another cupful, which disappeared in quick succession.

Once the parade had moved on, the streets became quite congested again as people carried on enjoying the treats at the stalls. Nagi watched them in silence, sipping her drink. There were blissful couples walking hand in hand and families with young children keeping them entertained with some of the games on offer. There were many squeals of delight when the parents managed to win the little children a prize for their efforts.

She felt a little sadness, having not had many of these sorts of moments during her childhood. She wished at least once she'd been the excited child receiving the prize. She brushed off such negative thoughts and poured herself another sake, trying not to let her mood spoil the festive atmosphere.

"You wanted to go up to the shrine, didn't you?" ShenLong brought up out of the blue.

She glanced over at him. "It can wait. I can go at the end of the night."

"You're not going to keep letting that guy get to you are you?"

Her face tightened. "Let's not go there, okay? I want to enjoy the rest of the evening."

He shrugged. "Okay, fine."

She downed the sake, letting the sharp floral warmth tickle her throat before trailing down into the depths of her stomach. She closed her eyes and focused on the nice comforting feeling the sake gave her in those few moments before the tickling cold called her attention again as a breeze brushed against her cheeks. She almost jumped when ShenLong slid his arm across her shoulders and she opened her eyes, giving him a curious gaze.

He may have had a cocky smile on his face, but his eyes were full of affection. "I thought I'd grace you with my sexy arm," he said with a sultry albeit teasing tone.

"Your sexy arm?" She grinned.

"Yes, my sexy arm, which goes along with my sexy body and my sexy face..."

She drew closer, snuggling against him. It was all an act. He just seemed to need to put on the bravado to hide any slushy romantic notions. "Aren't I lucky then," she purred with a giggle, leaning her head onto his shoulder. It seemed a lot nicer viewing everyone going about enjoying themselves from this position. And he was so enticingly warm. "Thank you," she said softly. "I know this isn't your thing, but I'm glad you're here to experience it with me. It makes me happy."

"Hey, don't go all slushy on me," he said jokingly, though the words still came out tender with some veiled appreciation.

Materialising from the crowd, Jenny and Gado – the latter with numerous bags on either arm – found the pair and wandered over. "How sweet," the English woman cooed at the pair as they approached.

ShenLong gave her a stern gaze. "The she-devil returns; and not without cargo." He eyeballed Gado and the many bags. "If you had any balls, you'd make the scarlet wench carry her own stuff."

Gado ignored his jibes. "A gentleman always carries the bags."

"Though the gentleman didn't have much of a choice did he?" Nagi said, knowing for certain the answer. His look alone said she was right.

"The others not back yet?" Jenny inquired.

"Well they'd be here if they were, wouldn't they," ShenLong said sarcastically.

Jenny tut disapprovingly. "Didn't you mother teach you some manners? Oh wait my mistake..." She seemed pleased with the dark glare he fixed on her, but she brushed him off with the wave of a hand. "We should avoid petty bickering, no? How about we get some drinks and head for the bridge ahead of the others. We can occupy a prime spot for the fireworks."

"Yeah, we should get there before it gets too busy," Nagi agreed, moving to stand, even if a part of her did so begrudging, not really wanting to part from her beau's warmth.

"Whatever," ShenLong said, standing with her, not taking his eyes off of Jenny, whom he was keen on giving a sharp backhand, but he decided that having a drink sounded like a better alternative. And he could always 'accidently' push her off the bridge later.

* * *

Uriko bounded back down the steps, clutching an ofuda – a protective paper talisman – that she'd procured from the shrine. She was going to hang it up in the lounge when she got home, but until then, she'd hang it up in the bedroom at the cabin. Following behind were Kenji, Yugo and Alice deep in conversation, not taking much notice of her exuberance. Behind them were Shina, Cronos, Long and Xion, who were relatively quiet and reflective – though Shina was mostly so because she was trying to remember the lyrics to a song she'd heard recently. Why the song had randomly popped into her head, she didn't know, but she hated it when she couldn't remember a song in full.

"We should head straight to the bridge," Alice suggested. "Hopefully the others should be waiting for us."

"Let's pick up some snacks on the way," Yugo suggested.

His girlfriend was surprised. "You can't be hungry already?!"

"They'll be for later!" He assured. "We don't know how long the display will go on for, and I don't want to risk all the best stuff running out before the end."

"Always thinking on your toes, right Yugo?" Shina called over, having given up on remembering the song – for now anyway. "Or should I say stomach?"

He turned back grinning. "Bit of one, bit of the other!"

The parade was just passing through as they returned through the torii and the group stopped to admire the dancers and the lanterns as they went by. Alice was the most awestruck, quickly overwhelmed by blissful nostalgia. She waved them off as the last of the group went by, gushing to Yugo about how wonderful they all were.

The music from the young koto player still reverberated through the air with a sweet melody as they headed back out onto the main street. They began to follow the flow of people who were heading off to find a spot to watch the fireworks when they started. Yugo went over towards the food stalls, which weren't quite as busy as they had been, though something else caught his eye, drawing him away as the others carried on by.

Shina stuck close to Cronos, who didn't seem all that comfortable walking in the tightening crowd, though he was taking relief from the fact that his friends were sticking close by as they moved. They were following in the wake of Uriko, who was once again keenly leading them through.

"The bridge is just off the right turn," Kenji indicated to his friends, pointing to the next road coming up. A sign to the side of the road was confirmation of this. They followed his lead as they broke out of the flow of people, with only a few others doing the same. Everyone else seemed to be heading for the park at the furthest end of the road.

Alice glanced back, noticing Yugo was nowhere to be seen. "Where did Yugo go?" She asked.

"Probably getting food as he said he would," Shina told her. "I thought I saw him at the vendors a minute ago. He should find us in a while when he's done foraging."

"There is our bridge." Long nodded over towards a very large mahogany structure that crossed over a half frozen river. It was in perfect view of a pasture where they could see people setting up the fireworks display in the distance. A small number of people were already gathered on the bridge expectantly – many who had probably been told by Taro or other locals that it was a good spot. They could see Gado and the others were already there.

They left the road and made their way up onto the pedestrian bridge. Nagi saluted the oncoming group when they came into sight and Uriko went running over to her to show her the ofuda she had been given.

"Just in time," Gado said in greeting, hands around a steaming hot coffee. "It will start soon."

"It is a good spot," Long regarded. "We will have the benefit of a good view, even though we are not up close."

They gathered along the barrier between the large pillars erecting the curved roof. The wind seemed to have less impact with the roof protecting them, making it a slightly less cold place to gather. And with the many warm bodies clustered on the bridge, they were all fairly toasty; though there was a level of discomfort with the close proximity of people wedging themselves together to get a good spot.

"I haven't seen fireworks since... well... forever!" Uriko exclaimed, starting to get excited. She turned to Alice, who was standing huddled up next to her. "Do you remember that time Mama and Papa bought fireworks for my fifteenth birthday and we set them off in the garden?"

"Yes, they were so pretty," her sister remembered with a twinkle in her eye, and then lowered her voice. "Though wasn't that the time one flew off and blew up the neighbour's birdhouse?"

"Yeah..." Uriko's voice trailed off both in fond memory, slight embarrassment and some humour. "... And they were too scared to complain because they were terrified of Mama."

Alice pressed her lips tightly together, trying not to smirk. Mitsuko could be terrifying when she was angry, but otherwise, she was like a big loving teddy bear.

"But it was an ugly birdhouse anyway!" Uriko defended. "Why would anybody paint something like that in pink with giant green spots? And it was falling apart too!"

"Oh well, no little birdies died, and we replaced it with a nicer more neutral coloured house," Alice said. "It was like a beautiful mansion compared to that ugly old shack." They looked at each other and burst out giggling.

The first firework burst into the sky with a shriek, exploding with a loud bang as it rained bright white sparkles back down through the darkness. Many gasps and cries of awe washed across the bridge with delight. It was soon followed by another, which gave an even louder bang, lighting everything up momentarily with luminous light.

A pretty little white doll's face appeared over Alice's shoulder. As she turned in response to something nudging her, the little face caused her to jump with surprise. Yugo chuckled at her reaction, setting the doll on the banister for her to admire in full. It was a pretty little geisha in a bright red and gold kimono holding a yellow parasol in her dainty hands. The phoenix embroidered onto her garment was finely created with tiny, delicate stitches. Every aspect, from her chrysanthemum hair pins draping against her face and the way the hair was coiffed, was perfect and beautiful.

Alice reached out to touch the doll with careful fingers. "Where did she come from?"

"I saw her at one of the stalls. I figured while I can't get you a full kimono outfit right now, she might do as a consolation gift?"

"Oh, Yugo! She's not a consolation at all! She's wonderful!" She took the doll gently and cradled it against her chest. "Thank you so much!" She leaned in close to him, standing on her tiptoes to share a grateful kiss.

"What a thoughtful gift," Jenny cooed, raising her glass of wine in approval to the couple.

"Well, you have me impressed, Yugo," Gado commended his young friend. "You're quite the romantic when you put your mind to it."

Yugo waved him off, hiding the blush building in his cheeks. "Ah, it was nothing." Though the way Alice stared at him so affectionately it was certainly more than nothing in her eyes, and he was glad the gift had made her happy.

"Oh, did I stop you from getting snacks?" His lover asked him. He promptly lifted a bag brimming with delicious goodies. She shook her head, unsurprised he'd found time to stock up while buying her a gift. He thought with both his heart and his stomach at the same time.

More fireworks whizzed into the air, this time in a broader array of colours. Reds and blues splashed across the skies vividly, raining down in streams before finally dissipating before reaching the ground. There was a quick fire of little rockets launched up in a clustered group, which exploded with a stark bang each, shimmering until they faded into puffs of smoke.

"I can't see, Mommy!"

"I'm sorry, sweetie, I don't think there's any room left."

Long glanced back at a wheelchair bound mother with her small daughter who had just arrived on the bridge. The mother was manoeuvring herself carefully passed people, trying to spy an open spot, which appeared to be a fruitless effort. The whole banister across the length of the bridge was packed full of people. There was no chance they would find a spot, and nobody seemed to be moving.

Just as they were about to give up and leave, Long called over to them. "Please wait a moment." His desire to watch the fireworks was much lower than that of the little girl. He had no qualms about giving up his spot if needs be. "There is a space here."

"Oh my, I don't want to take your spot from you," the mother said humbly. "You were there first."

"It is no trouble, I assure you," he insisted.

"They can both come here," Xion said from next to him, suddenly abandoning his spot and walking up the bridge without another word.

"Is it okay? I hope I haven't upset him." The mother seemed worried as she rolled towards Long, noticing Xion breeze away stiffly.

"Forgive him, he is always like that. He was not upset at all." He noticed the little girl was still struggling to see through the lower wooden railings. "Just a moment," he said to the child. "You will see better from up here." He indicated his intentions to her mother, who gave a nod of consent as she parked herself in the other empty spot beside him, and he lifted the little girl up to sit on the barrier. "Do not worry, I will hold onto you."

The girl beamed. "Thank you," she said somewhat shyly.

"You are welcome."

Shina leaned into Long. "So when did you get so good with kids?" She whispered in his ear between the fireworks loudly booming overhead.

"Perseverance," he merely said. And with all the times he'd taught martial arts classes to young children in the last year or so, he had gotten used to the technicalities that came with them.

Down the other end, Nagi and ShenLong had finished their bottle of sake and she had pocketed the two small cups for now. She was nicely sated with how her cheeks evidently glowed from the satisfaction of the alcohol. The fireworks were spectacular; from the flurry of whizzers shrieking up to the heavens to the singular rockets that were guaranteed to make a humungous boom that would practically light up the sky like a sun exploding. ShenLong was even quietly taking in the fireworks with fascination, though not before making a comment that it might be funny if a firework went rogue and randomly blew up the bridge, clearly unnerving the couple standing on the other side of him. She buried her face in her hand, trying not to laugh out loud.

It was probably the sake flowing through her that seemed to make the fireworks appear all the more pretty and enticing with their bright colours. She was probably a little tipsy, but not all that much. She was mostly exhilarated by each bang thundering through the air, her hand clutching to ShenLong's sleeve, which she squeezed every so often when she jumped.

The warmth carried on growing within her despite her not having another drop of alcohol; not noticeable at first as she thought it was simply because she was pressed against ShenLong, but then as the sky seemed to glow a lot brighter and her head became a little lighter, she suddenly began to take notice of her changing condition. It was a strange sensation, not like being drunk at all. It was like a blanket being wrapped around her, beginning to smother her – something that seemed to be trying to placate her, but in fact was bringing her a strange discomfort she couldn't explain. She swallowed a growing lump in her throat, suddenly picking up the presence of someone at her shoulder, carrying an essence so familiar – something she shared deep down. Her breath hitched and she turned, her body functioning almost in slow motion as her slightly glazed eyes locked onto Xion's as he stood there right behind her left shoulder. She gaped for a moment, her mouth opening to say something but the words were stifled.

Her heart was pounding. His eyes seemed to draw her in. A part of her wanted to reach out towards the familiar feeling, much like it seemed the strange feeling was reaching out to her in its stifling way.

Her brethren... her blood...

She pulled herself back from the brink of her mental ledge, not quite believing what her mind was conjuring up. Gasping, she put all her focus into slamming her hands against Xion's chest, sending him back a few paces. He clipped Uriko's shoulder, and she almost dropped her ofuda over the side of the bridge – luckily her scrambling hands pulled it back against her chest. The girl was about to launch a protest but noticed Nagi's terrified and angry face glaring at Xion, who seemed slightly startled by her reaction.

With the heaviness lifted, she found her voice again. "What are you doing?!" Nagi snapped, settling her breaths. She hated that his close presence was continuing to stir something within her she didn't like. "Stop it! Get away from me!"

"I'm not-"

"You liar!" She shouted, drawing other people's attention away from the display and towards the bizarre confrontation.

"Trouble in paradise once again," Jenny muttered to Gado as they turned towards the shouting. "So much for your peace..."

He shook his head, trying to work out what was going on. "What's happened?" The lion Zoanthrope called out, but neither Nagi nor Xion was paying him much attention.

"You stay away from me! I won't let you manipulate me again!" She was shaking with fear and fury, though Xion remained mostly impassive, his eyes somewhat bewildered by her reaction.

"Nagi?" ShenLong tried to draw her attention, but she wasn't listening to him. He was certain she was going to take a swing at the other man, and as much as he enjoyed a good punch up, this wasn't exactly the time or place. And she seemed unnaturally riled and freaked out all of a sudden. "Nagi!" When she didn't turn this time, he grabbed her by the back of the head and pulled her back. She stumbled, leaning her head back to look up at him, her confused attention fully on him now. "I want a drink. Let's go."

"Wha-"

"No arguments."

She protested but couldn't stop him from pulling her away from the banister and back across the bridge. He just kept talking over her complaints, whether it was about buying more alcohol or going to the shrine like she'd wanted to do she could offer her prayers. As they passed Long, ShenLong's crimson gaze fell on the other man.

"Keep your little silver dog away from her." Not waiting for a response, he left, leading her off despite her obscenities.

Long sighed, shaking his head.

"Are you okay?" The little girl asked him.

"I am fine. I just involve myself with some very complicated people." She didn't understand what he meant, but she seemed glad that he was okay, her attention quickly turning back the fireworks when another set were launched into the night's sky.

Yugo's gaze followed ShenLong and Nagi until they disappeared and finally snapped onto Xion. "What was that all about? What did you do?"

"I did nothing," he said softly. "I was just stood there." He had originally moved close behind her just because it was really the only space left that wasn't crowded, but there had been some motivation from his beast that he wanted to be near the one who shared his blood. Though it had been unintentional, he had been subconsciously reaching out to her, not realising what it might have been doing to her. Now he was just left standing cold, quietly hurt by her volatile reaction, though he did his utmost to keep his feelings off his face. Though with the way Alice was looking at him sympathetically, he must have let something slip through his mask, if only for a moment. Turning away, he took up the empty space which the pair had abandoned and stared absently at the fireworks still painting the skies overhead.

Kenji moved over to Uriko's side. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, I'm fine. I almost dropped my ofuda though!" She said looking tenderly at the treasured paper. "But maybe the Gods are looking out for me tonight."

"I suppose it was a little too much to hope that the night would remain peaceful," he said shaking his head. "We're never too far from drama it seems."

"Maybe," Uriko pondered, quickly brightening up. "Oh well, what's an adventure without a little drama, right?" He just stared at her blankly. She simply laughed. "It'll all be alright in the end. Let's not let it get us down, not when we have so many pretty fireworks in the sky!"

As if on cue, another exploded into a green twinkling light. They let themselves be caught up in the spectacle, enjoying the sounds and colours smattering across the starry night.

"Hey, Kenji?" Uriko spoke up some time later, her voice soft.

"Yeah?"

"What did you pray for earlier?"

He cocked his head to her, a small smile forming. "That's between me and the Gods." Another colourful explosion called his attention, and he gazed at the pinkish hue now twinkling in the air.

She glanced at him with curious eyes and shrugged to herself. "Between me and the Gods," she repeated thoughtfully, eyes drawn to the next bombardment of rockets filling the sky with streams of white light. Though curious about what the others prayed for, she understood what he meant, certain that's what everyone really felt; that saying what they wanted out loud would snatch their wishes away. She wouldn't say what she prayed for out loud either, really hoping that it would come true.

Her only want in life was for everyone to find happiness.


	6. Frosty

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.  
**

 **A/N: It's been a whole year since I started writing this story! Can't believe it has even been that long!**

 **Chapter 6: Frosty**

The temperature had promptly dropped overnight, and at some point it had decided to snow again, even if only in a brief, light fluffy that had left a glittery powder across the window ledges and steps. Even 'Mr. Snowman' had a twinkly dusting on his carapace, the base buried a bit further into the dense snow gathered on the ground, which had gained no more than an extra centimetre.

It was still fairly early when Gado emerged on the veranda, taking in a lungful of crisp morning air. The cabin was still fairly quiet. He'd only seen Long moving about when he stepped downstairs, who had since gone to occupy the bathroom for a hot shower. He'd left Jenny filling a bath full of hot water in the en-suite while he wandered off to go get a newspaper from Momoyama's hut.

He'd managed to discreetly take another one of his tablets without notice. He didn't need the barrage of questions he knew he would get if someone spied him taking them. But with waking up aching from head to toe, he'd definitely needed the little extra support. Not that his aching was all bad. A little had been a reminder of the privileged attention Jenny had given him once they'd sunk into the mattress together in the dark of the night. Despite having such nice memories, he couldn't help but think that a late night out in the cold hadn't really sat well with his body, which was still trying to get over the strain of being overworked. Despite a part of him wanting to stay in bed for a few more hours, his brain was having none of it. Though, maybe his brain was just too eager even for him these days. Aside, he just wanted to make the most of the peace and quiet while the others were still sleeping off the night before. He was sure some of them would be grumpy from overtiredness or hung-over, though Jenny had actually been rather chipper despite consuming the equivalent of a bottle and a half of wine all by herself. But she had a young, healthy body that could take that kind of abuse – not that she frequently went outside of her usual drinking limits. Though he doubted the others would be of the same ilk.

He crunched down the snow-covered roadway trying to keep an eye on the icy patches that had formed overnight. In the distance, a light mist hung over the wide stretch of open land, obscuring some of the scenic views. It seemed a shame he couldn't admire the beauty of the rural landscapes, but he knew that once the temperatures rose into the late morning he'd have a good view from the cabin window, though in more comfortable temperatures with his feet up in front of the fireplace.

It didn't take him long to reach Momoyama's reception hut. She was already outside wrapped up in her big coat and furry boots, handing a paper to an elderly gentleman. As the man departed, he bowed a greeting to Gado and trudged away to slowly take the hill path back to his own cabin.

"Do you ever sleep?" Gado gibed as he approached.

She narrowed her eyes through her thick lenses. "Only the dead needs to sleep." She went back through the reception hut door, reaching just inside onto a cabinet to retrieve another newspaper and handed it to him without question. "Was there anything else?"

"Maybe a smile and a bit of pleasant conversation?"

She grunted unenthused. "You young folk always want to be pandered to. It's all this ego-petting and emotional guff you think needs copious amounts of consideration. All this molly-coddling is making you all soft."

"I suppose a lecture will do..." He joked, to which she huffed, giving him a sharp glare. He shrugged in response. "Well, I tried." He tucked the newspaper under his arm, turning when he noticed Shimo appear in the doorway. "Settling in well is he?"

"He's greedy and likes watching TV. It's like being married."

Gado laughed. "It must be hard to give up your modest space to a new man, even though he's small and of the furry variety."

"I get better conversation out of him then I do with most people. And he's a good listener."

"I can imagine he is."

"Anyway, I need to get up to cabin eleven. Somehow they broke the toilet. I don't even want to know how."

"I won't keep you. Enjoy your toilet duties."

Momoyama grunted and made a sort of clicking sound, which Shimo instantly seemed to understand as he quickly came to her heels when she did it, watching her patiently. She moved to close and lock her door and the pair trundled on up the hill together. Gado was surprised how quickly Momoyama had formed a bond with Shimo. But then again, she did have a way with animals. Unlike people; she was downright cantankerous with them.

With newspaper received, Gado slowly made his way back towards the cabin, deciding to take the long way around just to make the most of some quiet alone time. He was certain the rest of the day was going to try his patience in ways he didn't want to envision.

* * *

Shina woke up with her head partially sandwiched between her pillows and oddly found she was unable to move. It took her a moment to realise that Cronos was practically latched onto her like a limpet, snuggled up against her back. Groggily, she removed her head from between the pillows, noticing with some surprise that one of his arms was nestled right between her breasts. Her initial thought – conjured in a split second of seeing this compromising position – was to grab his arm and launch him right out of the bed. But she didn't. She managed to keep her cool despite the embarrassment that crept across her cheeks in a warm flush. She knew it was unintentional. He would never in his wildest dreams think to act so perverse.

 _Maybe he was having a sordid dream?_ She thought, suddenly taking note that one of his legs was hooked close to her upper thigh. The possibility was almost laughable, but really, he was just like anyone else and could have sexy dreams if his mind so conjured them.

Though, when she really thought about it, the night before had been pretty cold. His position was as such to benefit from as much warmth from her as possible. With the heating system working with almost sporadic defiance, she couldn't blame him for snuggling up close, even if it did send her mind to places she didn't really want to go. It didn't help that the thought of 'morning wood' kept creeping into her mind teasingly, and she had to stop herself focusing on his body, just in case.

She sighed resignedly, any thought of getting mad of him simmering down, but she didn't know how to disengage their position without waking him and creating an awkward atmosphere. But when she felt him move, instinct told her to play possum – though in this case, pretend to be asleep and not dead – and let him deal with the problem. She closed her eyes and controlled her breathing, hoping he wouldn't suspect that she was already awake and aware of their position.

He stirred slightly, his movements lazy, though when she felt him abruptly freeze she knew he'd realised their current state of affairs. Carefully, he removed his arm from its place nestled between her breasts, and slowly unlatched his leg from around her. The warmth that had been pressed against her was suddenly gone, and a little part of her seemed sad that she had lost the touch. She kept up the act for another five minutes, slowly counting every second before giving the appearance that she was slowly waking up, rolling carefully onto her back as she stretched out her limbs. She slowly opened her eyes and turned her head lazily towards Cronos, who looked over her way when he realised she was awake. There was colour in his cheeks, though she pretended not to notice his embarrassment, acting as if nothing had happened.

"Good morning," she greeted with a stifled yawn. "Is everything okay?"

"Oh, uh, yes, everything is fine thank you," he responded, a slither of nervousness in his voice.

Inwardly smirking at his awkwardness, she stretched out her sleepy limbs and sat up. "Well, it's time to get up; can't have us wasting the entire morning in bed!"

"Do we have to?" He said with a yawn, nestling back into the mattress.

"Well, that does surprise me. You of all people secretly a lazy bones," she jested, peeling back the covers to clamber out. "We should make the most of every minute while we're not tied to important duties. So, I think it's about time to get some training in."

"Training? In this weather? You really are a marvel, Jeanne," he said, staring at her with intrigue, his face half buried under a nest of covers.

"Yeah, I've been called a marvel a lot," she said offhandedly, finding a suitable t-shirt and sweatpants to train in.

"Would you begrudge me a little more time to sleep?" He asked, almost in a childlike manner.

She laughed. "Cronos, you don't need my permission. If that's what you want to, I won't stop you."

After grabbing some fresh underwear, she headed for the en-suite. "Have a nice sleep," she called back over her shoulder.

"Enjoy your bath," he returned in a sleepy response before burrowing down again, leaving only a wisp of silvery hair to poke out from beneath the covers.

She padded inside the bathroom and locked the door behind her, putting her clothes on an empty shelf under the sink. She sidled over to the bath and began to fill the pristine tub, crouching down as she watched the water rise slowly but surely. She added a splash of bath bubbles that was sat on the side, the scent of an alpine forest suddenly filling the room. She leaned her chin on the cold edge of the fibreglass tub, waiting patiently for it to fill, though her mind kept wandering back to her previous compromising position. She's known from the beginning that sharing a bed would likely produce such awkward moments. There was no way to control what your body did when you were asleep. Such positions were merely innocent accidents... or were they?

She swallowed a lump in her throat as the images of his arm snuggled between her breasts came into her mind. She tried to shoo it away as her face grew hot again. She blamed the warmth of the stream in the room for the crimson building in her cheeks.

How was it that such a simple little thing had her so hot under the collar? She wasn't innocent by any stretch of the imagination. She'd been in very intimate situations before with old flames. She'd seen and done things that would be fuel for many steamy adult fiction books. But maybe it came down to her actually caring deeply for Cronos, and something in her wanted him to remain that sweet young man, untainted by such debauchery.

She stripped off, tossing her nightclothes aside as she ran a quick blast of cold water through the hot that was sitting in the tub. Having tested the temperature to find it comfortable, she slowly stepped in, the heat prickling her slightly cooled skin. She carefully lowered herself in to submerge herself up to her shoulders.

 _How about we think of something a little less lurid..._ She told herself, which ended up being in vain as more vicarious images started fluttering into her head of her princely companion doing more to her breasts than just an unwitting touch. She groaned and sunk her head under the foamy water.

* * *

Meanwhile, downstairs...

Nagi had a headache, a self-inflicted misery brought on by a mixture of sake and copious amounts of coffee on an intake level she could only class as absurd. She had a love-hate relationship with coffee.

The odd cup was fine, just as long as it wasn't brewed too strongly. Though the previous night she allowed herself to overdo it, just so she had something to focus on other than her over-clocked brain. The bitterness had been a perfect distraction, which had been suitably fitting to her mood at the time. Initially she had refused to have a coffee, but ShenLong hadn't been willing to let her leave until she was stone cold sober. As much as he cared little about drink drive laws, he didn't want to die on the way back because she was in an alcohol fuelled rage. The caffeine buzz had been intense when it hit, and by the time she got in the car again she had almost been practically wired to the gills, even struggling to settle down for the night when they got back. Instead she'd spent a lot of time pacing around outside in the snow, and then around the lounge area until she eventually crashed, instantly asleep the minute she found her way to her pillow. But by God she was paying for it now.

Her joints ached like crazy, almost too stiff to move. But compared to her stomach, they were the least of her problems. It felt tight and sickly, and she dared not move too much in case it exasperated her symptoms. On the fallout end of her caffeine crash, she wallowed miserably under the sheets, surprised that sleeping hadn't quashed the worst of it. She had certainly been unlucky with the coffee strength, which she viewed as equivocal to a rhino bench pressing a bulldozer. If there were any small mercies, she was glad she wasn't tetchy anymore; not even a single jitter remaining from her previous pacing. But her body felt like she was being weighed down by ten boulders. For the most, her terrible state had shoved aside thoughts of Xion and the bizarre incident between them, even though it lingered not far from the forefront of her mind. She had been thankful that they had driven back after everyone else so she hadn't had to see him again, or have to deal with anyone else batting questions her way.

She had just about managed to roll onto her back, just as ShenLong rolled over and flopped an arm onto her delicate stomach. She let out a pained yelp and slapped his arm weakly.

"What's up with you?" ShenLong croaky voice asked, clearly still half asleep.

"The coffee has betrayed me," she murmured sluggishly. "It feels like someone is stabbing me from the inside out."

"That'll teach you," he said, rubbing her stomach with the back of his hand lazily.

"Intravenous a gallon of water into my body..." She flopped her arms over her face, the thought of getting up close to a living nightmare.

"The best I can offer you is a glass, but you'll have to wait until I've peed until you get it."

"Lovely." The bed jerked somewhat as ShenLong sluggishly climbed out of bed, the movement making her grunt with displeasure.

He stretched out, letting his back crack loudly before grabbing his trousers from the back of a chair, pulling them on in a swift motion. He padded barefoot over to the door, which she was thankful he didn't slam behind him on the way out.

She considered her condition a blessing in disguise. This way she could avoid Xion for the whole day as she recuperated, blocking out any recollection of that strange suffocating feeling had he had brought over her. She knew something was going to happen, and wanted to lash out for being put in a position where he was allowed to be anywhere near her. But she knew it would do no good. Nobody seemed all that concerned about him. It riled her that they didn't take the threat of his presence seriously. ShenLong might have showed some level of solidarity, but even he had simply brushed off her complaints in his usual blasé manner. She wasn't sure he actually believed what had happened, which was probably why she ended up plying herself erratically with coffee. Comfort laced in with the bitterness, keeping her relatively calm and grounded despite other thoughts telling her otherwise. She wasn't going to tear into ShenLong over it though. Whatever he may have thought, he was still her one true ally on the matter. Maybe even Yugo too. She just had to focus on keeping her guard up. She was sure the silver-haired slime-ball would show his true colours eventually.

She decided for the rest of the day she would revel in her misery and nurse her ailments in the safe haven of her cosy bed. Maybe tomorrow she could face everyone. She wasn't ready for the odd looks and prying questions. It would give her time to relax and not have to breathe the same air in the vicinity of that Unborn bastard.

 _Fuck that devious asshole... In fact, fuck the whole damn lot of them for today! All I need is my bed and a tanker full of water..._

A few minutes later, ShenLong returned. He brought with him a cold glass of water which he set on the bedside table, giving her a poke to knock her out of her doze to show her where he'd put it. She slowly sat up, reaching out with a slightly shaky hand to take the glass. Her first sips were tentative, before she forced herself to gulp it down, despite her throbbing temples. She grimaced, placing the glass back down almost empty before settling back into the mattress.

ShenLong sat down on the edge of the bed. "So, what do you plan on doing today?"

"I'm staying right here," she told him, rolling onto her side with her back to him.

"Oh?" He said with a purr, stroking the back of her neck gently. She nudged him away with her shoulder.

"I'm not staying here for _that_ reason," she informed him, burrowing down again. "Screw the world for twenty-four hours. I just want to relax and sleep off my pains."

"You're boring," he stated in a huff, though leant over and kiss her brow. "I'll get you tonight, my little viper, you can count on that. So get some rest, because you'll be in for _quite_ the ride later."

She grunted in response. Not exactly a disagreement, so there was hope for him on that front. She pulled the covers up over her face, blocking out the light to temper her headache as best she could.

"I guess I'll go take control of the television while nobody else is around," he said, grabbing the rest of his clothes.

"Who wants to be up at..." She peaked out to find the clock. "... Nine o'clock while on a vacation?"

"The kind of people who aren't boring little fuckers."

"All you're going to do is watch TV. Not exactly the most productive thing to get up for. Oh, and can I add, _fuck you_ , sleeping is for champions."

"I'd rather rot my brain with shitty TV then just lay here like a corpse." He ran his fingers through his hair, pushing it back from his face, though it didn't want to sit in its usual style and a few hairs flopped about of their own accord. He'd solve the problem later with gel when he could be really bothered.

"Corpse mode engaged," she mumbled defiantly, listening to him head for the door again. "Send me sustenance at lunchtime," she told him just as he opened the door.

"I'm not your slave, woman."

She didn't respond, deciding it wasn't worth the effort to keep arguing with him, letting him go out to fester in front of the TV. She just hoped her dreams would be slightly more forgiving than her current bodily woes.

* * *

Yugo leant against the kitchen counter, stifling a yawn as he watched the toaster, waiting for his bread to pop up so he could get some much needed breakfast. He was usually pretty lucky to have Alice on hand to prepare his breakfast for him, but she was still crashed out from an exhausting drive back late last night. She had looked too sweet to disturb all snuggled under the sheets, so had gotten up as quietly as he could.

Besides, she wasn't the designated cabin cook. He could just about gather his meagre culinary skills to keep himself sustained for the time being; which was probably why he'd opted for toast. He kept the settings on the toaster low so not to burn the bread, which he'd done many times in the past.

He could hear the news on a low volume coming from the lounge area, currently curtained off. He knew Long and Xion were there, having risen some time before him. He wasn't up to making pleasantries with the latter, still not quite sure what he had done to upset Nagi, so decided that he'd probably go for a run after breakfast to burn off some energy while he waited for Alice to awaken.

His head still felt a little foggy from all the alcohol he'd consumed, but thankfully Alice had plied him with water and hot chocolate – staying up extra late – so that he would go to bed hydrated. When she wasn't nursing as a profession, she was nursing in her spare time. It was just her nature to take care of others. For once, he wasn't going to begrudge her a lazy morning while he took care of himself, even if he'd rather be tucking into one of her delicious breakfasts than a boring piece of toast.

As if sensing his growing hunger – compounded by the gurgling growl of impatience sounded off by his stomach – the toast popped up, making him jump from his relaxed position against the cool counter. He slathered the toast with plentiful amounts of butter before chomping them down in quick succession, temporarily satisfying his stomach. With his food consumed, he quietly wandered back into his bedroom to grab his sneakers from his bag and a pair of fleece lined sweats. He glanced over at Alice as he changed. Her head was barely poking out from beneath the covers. Her breathing was light and steady, barely jostling the covers. She was at least enjoying some peaceful, well-earned sleep. The geisha doll he'd gifted to her the night before was sat proudly on the bedside table, watching over her with a delicate smile. She had placed it there with reverence as she'd climbed into bed, wanting to keep it within her line of sight. She must have fallen asleep staring at it lovingly. He smiled to himself, knowing he'd done good. Any chance to make her happy was an opportunity worth taking. He laid a feather light kiss on her temple before zipping up his jacket and heading out of the room again.

Meanwhile, behind the lounge curtain, there was a thick silence, only permeated by the chatter coming from the TV set, droning on and on about a rather drab political climate. Xion seemed relatively engaged with the screen, even if his expression was stone cold devoid of any emotion. Long – even though he quite enjoyed not having to make conversation when it was so nice and peaceful – was curious about what was going through his companions head. Though he had reached quite an enjoyable juncture in his book, for now he was too distracted to engage any further with the pages and quietly set it aside. He reached into his pockets to take out a couple of hair bands to roughly tie back his hair, which he'd left down after his shower. It was mostly dry now, so it seemed an opportune time to get it out of the way. He glanced at Xion as he did this, deciding he'd waited long enough to actually speak to him about unclear matters.

"So, are you finally going to tell me what happened last night with Nagi?" He'd let it slide initially as he had first been focusing on assisting the little girl – the one whom he'd helped to get a better view of the fireworks – and her mother for a while that night. And afterward, he'd deemed it a bit of an awkward a conversation to have on the car ride back with Shina and Cronos in their presence. While he had thought about it upon they return to the cabin, he was just too tired to sit up discussing the situation, which he was sure would have been the same for Xion as well. Fully refreshed and without the others around, it seemed the most perfect time to engage with him.

Yugo briefly stuck his head in-between the curtains. "I'm off for a run. See you later."

Long offered a small response in acknowledgement, never take his eyes away from Xion as he listened to the wolf Zoanthrope leave the cabin. "Well?"

Xion initially appeared to be ignoring him, keeping his eyes on the television. Eventually – and without further verbal prodding – the man sighed, glancing over to Long, his face still passive. "I don't think I can explain it. I hardly understand it myself. But trust me, what happened was completely unintentional."

"So, something did happen," Long processed, interlocking his fingers on his lap. "Can you elaborate?"

"It was nothing physical," Xion resolved from the get-go, his eyes making it clear he'd done nothing inappropriate.

"Metaphysical?"

"That is probably the only way to explain it."

"I see..."

His eyes became icy. "Don't assume it was anything sexual. That is _not_ what it was about!"

"I would not jump to such conclusions," Long assured. "But whatever it was stirred quite a deal of negative emotions from Nagi."

"It was a subconscious need to be close to a familiar... essence..." He pondered on his words, shaking his head slightly at how absurd it sounded, unsure if he wanted to go on. But now that he had opened this can of worms, he couldn't just leave it at that. "I didn't stand close to her for that need in the first place. It was just one of the few less crowded spots left available. But I wasn't unhappy about it. I suppose when I was thinking about her presence, some part of me had reached out, trying to make a connection." He fell into an abrupt silence for a moment before taking a deep breath, eyes going back to the television. "It's a lonely existence when nobody else understands exactly what you are. I am not a mere Zoanthrope after all. But she..." He silenced himself again, not comfortable relaying these awkward thoughts.

Long regarded him quietly, mulling over his words. Xion just wanted someone around that was like him – and really, Nagi was a lot like him, her powers an imperfect copy of his. They were like family in a loose sense of the word. He may have reached out to the likes of Uranus for what could be perceived as an intimate connection, but what he reached out for to Nagi was an innocent need for family – something he had lost. Long shared that feeling sometimes; he had lost his family as well. Technically he still had his father, but that was a bridge well and truly burned.

"I would give it a few days," Long said, drawing his companions attention again. "That would allow her time to calm down. After then, if you wish for me to speak to her on your behalf, I would do so with the greatest of care."

"I can only see that making matters worse."

"I would not say anything inappropriate."

"It's not you that gives me cause for concern. It's just that she's quick to find fault whatever I do. Even with your kindest intentions she would most undoubtedly shoot the messenger, so to speak. It would be perceived as another attack."

"It will take time to mend such raw wounds. I will try to help you where I can. Maybe one day she will come to understand, and maybe something can be salvaged from this mess. But I cannot make any promises..."

"I know, I know." Xion stared at his cup of tea on the table in front of him, now lukewarm and less than tantalising. "I am grateful that you still trust my word... after everything. Though I'm sure the others won't be so kind."

"You may be surprised," Long said, rising from his chair. "Would you like another drink?"

"Please," he said, handing him his cup. Long left him to him to dwell on the core of his internal misery. The television carried on droning at him incessantly, but he had long since blocked out the sound.

* * *

Shina padded down the stairs, dressed in skin-tight albeit warm workout wear, ignoring ShenLong who was occupied with some black and white movie he was begrudgingly watching while the TV schedule was light on his more favoured programmes. Then again, it was early morning, which catered more to children's TV and the news. Cronos was bundled up in more restrictive albeit toastier clothing, slowly following behind her as she went to put the kettle on. She had successfully managed to coax him out of bed and into the shower, but even so, he didn't seem all that awake.

"I didn't think the peace and quiet would last," ShenLong said without looking back at them.

"We won't be here for long, so quit your whining," she said, searching for something quick to snack on in place of breakfast. She handed a cereal packet to Cronos who just stared at it blankly for a moment until she started guiding him towards the bowls and spoons, reminding him to put milk on it when he'd served out as much as he wanted to eat.

"Where the hell are you two going?" He said, taking some mild interest as he looked back at them pottering about the kitchen.

"Just outside to train," she said offhand, focusing her attention on a rather bland granola bar.

"I am just spectating the training session," Cronos added before tucking into his cereal.

"What? Scared she'll beat you to a pulp?" ShenLong jeered at the young Prince.

"That is a possible scenario, but rather I am just less inclined to train in such cold climates."

"You're scared of the cold? Aren't you a fucking penguin?"

"Don't be a dick, ShenLong," Shina piped up after swallowing the last piece of the granola bar.

"Why is that sounding like a familiar statement?" The tiger said, eyeballing the leopard.

"Because I'm going to keep saying it until you stop being one. Now, if you have nothing else worthwhile to say, go back to your movie."

"I'll train with you," ShenLong said, ignoring her brush off.

Shina stared at him with a furrowed look of bewilderment. "What? _You_ train with _me_?"

"Are you deaf? That's what I said."

"Why would I want to train with you of all people?"

"You'll be getting a once in a lifetime offer to face such a talented individual." He stood stretching, obnoxiously assured of himself. "And besides, it saves you from fisting a tree."

Cronos stared at the other man blankly. "Fisting a tree?" He clearly had no idea what he'd meant by that.

"Don't say such fucking weird things, ShenLong," Shina snapped, completely unimpressed.

"Don't be such a sissy prude," he derided, going in search of warmer clothing. "I'll see you outside in five."

Shina huffed, wanting to be more disagreeable, but it didn't sound like such a bad idea. At least she'd get a hell of a workout and she wouldn't have to go soft on him. She glanced over at Cronos, who stilled seemed to be mulling over ShenLong's crude remark.

"I am guessing by your reaction, 'fisting a tree' is something particularly low brow?"

Shina shook her head, finding herself smiling a tad. "I wouldn't worry about it, Cronos."

* * *

Yugo jogged the path carefully, minding the icy patches along the way. He wanted to do at least one circuit of Kinoshita's land, which was a lot bigger than he'd actually thought. Not that he was complaining. He enjoyed a good run. He recalled the times he used to run pre-dawn laps around the block near his home during his days as a boxer. Though compared, this was something much more special. He got the added bonus of some pretty spectacular scenery. The snow-dusted flora sparkled away around him highlighted delicately by the early morning light. There may have still been some mist hanging the distance, but it was slowly starting to disperse to reveal the tranquil rural sights beyond.

His hot breath puffed out around him into the crisp air as he tried to keep up a regular pace. He could hear the earth beneath his feet crunch with each step, the sound slightly satisfying to his ears. He felt exhilarated as he began to hit an incline, which got the blood pumping as he had to push just a little harder so not to slow down. He was a little surprised as he reached the top of the slope to find Kenji sat on a rock in his own cosy sweats, taking a breather. The teenager's cheeks were rosy, which could be assumed to be the result of his own exercises. Yugo was pretty sure that he had probably been out since the crack of dawn. His brother was never one to waste a second in the day, whether it be filling his head with knowledge or keeping himself in shape. If there was anything Yugo had passed onto his brother, it was his raw determination to maintain his fitness and keep his fighting skills honed. Kenji was a dedicated practitioner of his art – that of ninjutsu, something that Yugo had next to no knowledge about, but he was certainly proud that his brother was growing stronger every day.

Kenji was listening to his small portable music player, unplugging the small earphone buds when he caught sight of Yugo. He was about to rise, when his brother made a sign for him to remain seated.

"You keep chillin'," Yugo said, stopping a few paces away from him to do some stretches. "What time did you get out bed?"

"I can't really remember. Around sunrise maybe; I can't remember."

"Couldn't sleep?"

"I slept fine," he assured. "I was out like a light when we got back last night. It just so happened I woke up early and couldn't get back to sleep."

"So you came out for a run."

"Amongst other things." Yugo gave him a lurid grin, clearly jibing him that he had been up to some other unmentionable things, to which Kenji rolled his eyes. "You have a dirty mind, Yugo. I don't know how Alice puts up with you sometimes."

"She's not so squeaky clean herself, you know."

"You mean you've dragged her down to your level."

Yugo just laughed, sidling over to sit on another rock half a metre apart from his brother. "Let me guess," he said changing the subject, "you were ninja cruising through the trees."

"Ninja cruising..." Kenji repeated softly, a small smile lifting his lips. "You could call it that."

"Have you been outside long?"

He puffed out a thoughtful breath. "Hmm... probably about forty-five minutes. I thought I'd sit with my books before I came out."

"Why doesn't that surprise me..."

Ignoring his comment, Kenji tucked his music player into his pocket. "And you?"

"I got out here about ten minutes ago. Want to join me on my circuit of the place? If you're not too out of breath, that is?"

Kenji scoffed. "I was just sitting down for five minutes to appreciate how peaceful it was."

"Whatever you say!" Yugo stretched his calves. "You better keep up." He ruffled his brother's hair before taking off up the path.

 _Age doesn't equal maturity,_ Kenji thought with a wry smile, shaking his head as he took off after his brother, knowing if it came down to a race, he would certainly leave his brother in the dust.

* * *

It was a little bit surreal for Shina to be stood across from ShenLong, ready to spar with him in the icy chill of a winter's morning. The last time they'd squared off was during the incident with the Zoanthrope Liberation Front, which had to have been three or so years ago, and that had been far from a friendly encounter. She remembered that fight had ended in a draw when Long and Uriko had turned up with beef of their own. And of course, given the circumstances, she was happy to stand aside and focus on finding her father, who had done a disappearing act during most of that saga.

How far they'd come in such a short time. She doubted that back then she would have even envisioned this moment, both of them warming up in preparation for their training. ShenLong looked slightly odd in a slightly weathered sweater and sweatpants. She didn't think he even owned such clothes. She was so used to seeing him in his expensive silk shirts and trousers. And to add to the scene, the Prince of the Zoanthrope Kingdom was stood on the veranda, bundled up in a thick coat and drinking herbal tea out of a huge mug.

Shina shook out her freshly stretched muscles, keeping herself moving so that the cold didn't get to her. The quicker they got their sparring under way, the warmer she'd be. "You ready?" She called over to her challenger.

ShenLong was crouched, side stretching his right leg. "Give me a minute," he responded stiffly, switching to stretch out his other leg.

Though impatient, she turned her focus over to Cronos, jogging over to banister where he was leaning. "You don't have to be out here if it's too cold for you," she said, looking up at his semi-tired expression.

"I want to see you in action," he said before blowing the top of his steaming tea. "I find your style fascinating."

Her brow rose. "Fascinating? In what way?"

"The military precision of your moves is remarkably refined. When I watched you in action during the tournament, I was in awe of your stance and the way you struck your opponents with such rigid force."

Though flattered, she found herself scowling somewhat. "Rigid force?"

"Hah! He's right," ShenLong cut in from behind her. "That style of yours is too stiff. Same goes for your father."

There was nothing more annoying than a smarmy critic, and she huffed, clearly insulted. She cast her opponent a narrow-eyed glare of disgust. "Don't pretend to be an expert in the art of fighting. In comparison, you're a pre-programmed automaton."

His expression stiffened. "Did you want a training partner or what?"

"Keep your opinions to yourself and we're in business."

"Jeanne, I did not mean my words as an insult," Cronos quickly assured, certain he had offended her.

"It's fine, Cronos. I know you didn't mean anything by it."

The tiger snorted, finishing his warm ups to stand arms folded with annoyance. "Now, if you're done with all your sensitive bullshit, let's get down to it. I'm not standing in the cold freezing my balls off while you piece your ego back together."

Shina made a disgruntled noise as she walked back to her previous spot, though she was glad that he was finally ready to take her on. "I'll show you who's too stiff!"

The cockiness crept back into his thin smile. "Let's see what you've got."

Shina punched a fist into her other palm. "Come and get me," she muttered.

They both moved into their familiar battle stances.

Cronos calmly sipped his tea as the two combatants across from him suddenly clashed with lightning quick movements. Even he knew this wasn't just a simple training session. He just hoped they didn't too much damage to each other.

Shina moved with a fierce, sharp vigour, her kicks snapping towards ShenLong's upper torso in a streaked blur. But the tiger's keen eye didn't miss the movement, rebounding the strike with his forearm as he struck back with a stiff palm, which she had to jump away from to avoid it.

Fighting was almost like a dance, Cronos often observed, something that had rubbed off on the way his own style had formed. Watching the pair, striking, ducking, dodging, turning; it was all exceptionally methodical. They were experts in their styles, acutely prepared to receive the incoming attacks and react accordingly. The beauty in the way they moved could only be achieved by years of practice. Not just anyone could throw a few punches or kicks and make their techniques look beautiful.

Shina moved with a rough albeit sleek style, focusing with direct, powerful attacks. She had a thoroughly impressive kick set, quite adept at performing head level strikes with clean precision. When ShenLong caught her leg incoming again for another torso strike, he locked up the ankle, though reacted by leaping up to hit him with the other leg – an insuguri kick. He released her leg, taken by surprise, but only temporarily stunned. ShenLong struck back with viper-like efficiently that kept Shina on the defence. The deftness of his combos was something Cronos found intriguing. There was an air of unpredictability about his movements, especially with how he fluidly switched between high and low attacks, slipping in a mid strike here and there almost unseen. Shina impressively managed to defend herself against most of the strikes, even taking the connecting attacks with wilful endurance. She parried his last attack to crack him upside the head with her elbow, but before she could even connect her next punch, his hand grabbed her wrist and he twisted, turning her around. She couldn't stop him, mainly because she lost a bit of traction in the snow. The next thing she knew, she was being launched across the way. Her eyes suddenly focused on the snowman coming into rapid focus. There was a split second she thought she may actually crash through their snowy resident, but lucky, she fell just short, rolling to a stop.

"I don't think Uriko would have been too pleased if you had destroyed her friend," an approaching voice piped up.

Shina grunted, catching her breath as she sat up onto her knees, giving her father a deadpan glare as he stepped into her line of sight.

"Are you okay, Jeanne?" Cronos called over.

Shina got to her feet sharply, brushing the snow from the front of her clothes. "I'm fine," she shouted back, turning to give ShenLong a fierce stare, who gave her a cocky grin in return. "It was nothing."

Gado quietly shook his head as he slowly strode back towards his cabin. Seeing his hot-blooded daughter up early to dedicate herself to some no holds barred training gave him silent pride. He was in no doubt that she could match up to ShenLong, and by the way she marched back towards her opponent, she seemed ready to put him in his place. He gave a casual salute to Cronos, who returned a polite nod of acknowledgement.

He'd been glad to take the long way around, going across the top edge of Kinoshita's land to admire the scenery. He wasn't used to such peacefulness, but it was certainly growing on him. He'd even taken the time to make small talk with a Chinese couple, who had been up at dawn light to photograph the sunrise through the trees. They had braved the cold just to get the perfect shot. There was no doubt they were admirers of nature in its purest form. At the time he'd passed their way, they'd been taking close up shots of icicles hanging from the tree branches. He was impressed by their artistic drive, even if art wasn't always a subject he gave much attention to.

He was just thinking that photography might be quite an engaging hobby to indulge in when Yugo and Kenji came jogging around the corner behind him. Yugo was a little faster, only because Kenji was being more cautious and not allowing his brother to goad him over ego. Upon seeing Gado, Yugo picked up his pace.

"Hey, Gado!" He shouted, slapping a firm hand onto the back of the other man's shoulder.

The jolt of Yugo's hand had come at completely the wrong time. It was just as Gado was in mid-step, just over a small piece of black ice near the cabin steps. It caused his stride to falter right onto the ice patch, and he lurched, his knee buckling. Before Gado could react, he was suddenly falling hard onto his back atop the snow and hard soil. The shout he made on impact drew everyone's attention to him.

Shina and ShenLong had been about to exchange another round of blows when they were distracted by the lion Zoanthrope unceremoniously falling over.

Yugo stopped his jog, balking with disbelief. "Whoa, Gado! Are you alright?"

"Congratulations on almost killing my dad, Yugo," Shina called over, somewhat cringing. She gave a timeout sign to ShenLong, who just rolled his eyes with a shrug, and she walked over.

Gado grunted, slowly picking himself up, shuffling over to grab the wooden banister to support himself. Yugo reached out to offer him a hand, but he brushed him off. "I'm fine," he said stubbornly.

"That was really thoughtless, Yugo," Kenji chided. "You know how slippery the ground is in parts."

"Yeah, Yugo," Shina gladly added, enjoying getting in on the reprimand. "That was reckless! What were you thinking?"

Yugo spluttered, rubbing the back of his head with embarrassment. "It was an accident! I didn't know! I'm sorry, Gado."

"Forget about it," Gado said, now back on his feet. "I think it's mostly my ego that's taken a bruising." Though, as he said this he knew his body was thoroughly unimpressed by the fall and was letting him know about it in a big way. He just about managed to keep his face devoid of any indication of pain despite his back sharply throbbing. "If you'll excuse me, I think I'll go put my feet up and pretend this didn't happen." Carefully, he made his way up the steps, in time to be greeted by Long opening the door and stepping out.

"Has something happened?" Long enquired. "I heard a shout."

"Just Yugo trying to give me more war wounds," Gado brushed off with a strained laugh, passing his companion as he entered the cabin.

Long watched him with a raised brow before turning to the others. Yugo was red with embarrassment, being given quite the disapproving looks from Shina and Kenji.

"I suppose we needed at least one little spectacle to start the day," Long remarked with levelled good humour.

"You can say that again," Shina said before clipping Yugo around the ear.

The wolf jumped back. "Ow! I'm sorry! I'll be more careful!"

"You'd better," she warned. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm in the middle of training."

"Training?" Long glanced at her as she began to walk back towards ShenLong, who he hadn't taken much notice of before then. "Hmm, I am surprised."

"You're telling me," Yugo said, hearing Long's comment. "I wouldn't have expected her to train with him of all people." He then turned back to Kenji. "How about another lap before we call it quits?"

"If it keeps you out of trouble," his brother lightly teased, just to receive another hair ruffle for his troubles.

"Keep up then!" Yugo took off ahead, keeping an eye out for ice as he went back onto the path.

Kenji rolled his eyes. "I swear he's never stopped being a teenager."

"Forever young at heart," Long agreed, stepping down from the veranda. "I suppose I should leave you to your chase."

"I am more inclined to stick with the age old saying, 'slow and steady wins the race'. Though..." He gave Long a discreetly coy look. "He won't know what's hit him before the finish line. He can't outrun me."

Long chuckled as he watched Kenji jog off. It didn't seem all that long ago Kenji struggled to emote in any significant way. To see him to make good humour and banter with his peers was a triumph over his dark past.

His attention then turned to Shina and ShenLong, who had reengaged their training, just as hard hitting as before. Long watched quietly and curiously, seeing his own Kenpo style being performed in an adaptive style. He slowly walked over, watching the exchange of blows with intrigue.

"Is there something you want?" ShenLong snapped, not even looking at him, his full concentration on deflecting Shina's incoming roundhouse kick.

"Just spectating," Long said simply, moving passed them to stand on the veranda next to Cronos, who was still stood nursing his mug. "Good morning, your highness."

"Good morning," Cronos returned.

"Not interested in participating?"

"I would rather not. Not in this weather." Cronos glanced at the other man. "I am sure you will admonish me for not having the resilience, but I am just not so inclined to fight in the snow, whether I am a penguin or not."

"Certainly, I have always valued the ability of a fighter who can endure any conditions to perfect their skills, but I am not one to criticise if someone chooses not to train if their heart is not in it."

Cronos stared idly at the liquid in his mug. "They say you should always be prepared for whatever environment you face; that you should always be open to test your abilities in even the most uncomfortable of places, as you never know when such challenges will come your way."

"When we are pushed into a situation, more often than not, the strongest of us will adapt to our environments in the most difficult of situations, having the training or not." Long smiled at the young Prince. "Fear not, you do not have to explain yourself to me. You are a very capable young man."

"I really do not feel deserving of such praise, but I thank you for the compliment."

Performing an impressive feat of skill, Shina leapt over ShenLong's gut punch to get in him in a head scissors takedown, flipping him cleanly over onto the ground.

"Impressive move, Jeanne," Cronos praised.

ShenLong popped back up, rolling his neck and shoulders. "More like a _lucky_ move."

"She took advantage of an opening you gave her," Long pointed out matter-of-factly. "It was not simply luck."

ShenLong narrowed his eyes. "A commentator _and_ spectator. Haven't you got anything better to do?"

"When you make such an entertaining spectacle, how could I possibly want to do anything else?" Long remained deadpan, though it was clear there had been a jibe hidden under his emotionless speech.

"Stop arguing with the crowd and keep your eyes on me," Shina said, going in for another strike, which ShenLong stepped out of the way of when she was close enough, elbowing her in the back.

"Whatever you say," ShenLong responded, casting a dark glance at Long before turning his full focus back on Shina.

Cronos flinched at some of the strikes they exchanged. He was thoroughly glad he'd decided not to participate. Though really, if it had just been Shina and himself, it probably wouldn't have been quite so violent. In this case, pride and egos were at play.

Something off to his far left caught his attention, and Cronos turned just in time to see a pink form moving between the trees. He knew it was the little girl. It hadn't just been the coat that gave her away, but the raw sadness he could distantly feel clinging to her. He was sensitive to such stark emotions; he could even emphasis deeply with her hidden misery, having gone through much melancholy of his own.

The girl materialised near the path, looking a little lost for a moment, but then she locked eyes with his and froze like a rabbit caught in the headlights. Before he even consider what to do next, she was gone, disappearing as quickly as she appeared. It pained him that she was so sad and frightened.

"Are you alright?" Long asked him.

"I saw her again..." He turned to look at the other man. "The little girl."

"I felt an air of sorrow, if only for a moment. I did not see her myself. She must have passed through like a whisper in the wind."

Cronos sunk lower against the banister. "I just wish there was something I could do."

"Sometimes there is just nothing we can do. But that does not mean we should not try."

Cronos nodded his head in understanding. He would do what he could to try and break through that unspoken misery. He didn't want to see such a sweet little girl suffer in silence.

* * *

Gado had taken himself straight up to the bedroom, making a beeline for the en-suite to hunt out his stash of painkillers. Jenny had thankfully migrated to the kitchen after her previous soak to brew herself some Moroccan mint and rose flavoured tea – something she was quite eager to inform him about – which he had quickly declined a cup of when offered. He much preferred straight up, no-thrills coffee.

Having located his painkillers, he popped out a pill and washed it down with glass of cold water. He couldn't believe how such a simple fall had so easily jarred him. It was a sure sign he needed to slow down and take care of himself more. Deciding he'd already had enough of the day he unearthed his laptop from his bag and carefully sat himself down on the bed. He set his newspaper aside for later reading – glad he'd decided to tuck it into his jacket on the return journey; otherwise it would have been nothing more than sodden mess.

Firing up the laptop, he told himself that anything work related was completely on the backburner while he was on vacation, so only accessed his personal email account to check up on anything of interest. Besides his spam folder practically bursting at the seams, his inbox wasn't too busy. There were confirmations from one event or another, a message from an old mercenary buddy that he kept in contact with over the years – a guy who had retired to devote himself to his family and a budding wine business. He was keen to take Jenny to meet him at his prized vineyard. He was sure she'd enjoy the trip immensely, if not for simply coaxing free wine out of his friend, which he was sure she would get away with.

He paused when he reached the most recent email delivered to his inbox. He was somewhat surprised to find out who the sender was, a response he didn't think he would receive, though he was happy nonetheless, clicking to read the contents.

Jenny stepped into the room, carrying her cup of tea with her. She closed the door behind her softly. "No plans for today?" She asked as she approached the bed, setting her tea aside as she slid on beside him.

"I'm having the day off from any active adventures," he said, reclining back into his pillow, eyes not leaving the laptop screen as he continued to read.

"I am surprised!" Her finger toyed along his thigh playfully.

"Even I need the day off now and again. I need to recharge my batteries for more personal escapades." He cast a knowing look towards her to try and temper any illicit ideas she may have had.

She sat up a little, somewhat disappointed. "How sad... Are you taking a leaf out of Long and Xion's books by burying your head in reading material?"

"Just for today; though I might actually catch up on a movie tonight. It isn't often I just do nothing. The point of a vacation is unwinding after all."

Jenny reached for her tea, sitting up against the headboard with her legs gracefully crossed at the ankles. "You are full of surprises, my dear."

"Very full of surprises..." He made an effort to say the words in an alluring way, teasing what possibilities might be ahead. Her knowing chuckle was pleasing to his ears. "Though, I do have a different kind of surprise for you," he said, turning the laptop screen for her to see. "I had an interesting message appear in my inbox."

Jenny sipped her tea, leaning over slightly to see the message contents. "Well, well, and here I thought they weren't actually versed in modern technology..."

"I don't think it was them who sent it," Gado said. "I know they have friends who could though. I did inform them about our trip out here. It has coincided at just the right time."

"Yes, indeed it has," Jenny concurred. "So, does this mean we'll be having some visitors?"

"It's a possibility. I will ring the number they provided for the ryokan they will be staying at tonight and leave a message. Hopefully we can arrange something for sometime tomorrow."

* * *

Uriko pottered into the kitchen just after half ten, rubbing her eyes with the overly long sleeves of her fluffy pullover. She bounded over to the fridge, humming a tune to herself that she'd picked up from one of her video games, and took a small bottle of milk from just inside the door before going to the nearest overhead cupboard to grab a glass. She noticed just then that Cronos and Long were stood just outside the window by the banister on the veranda. She cocked her head with intrigue, setting her glass down to half fill with milk as she watched them just stand there, not really talking much and just observing something going on not too far in front of them.

She put the milk back in the fridge and sipped her drink, heading over to grab her boots and coat by the doorway, managing somehow to balance the glass between each hand as she dressed herself for the outdoors. She pulled her mittens from out of her pocket as she opened the door, stepping out with a sharp breath as the chill greeted her. Cronos and Long glanced back at her as she appeared on the veranda.

"Good morning! Everyone seems so busy already!" She went to stand beside Long, cradling her drink tightly. She took notice of ShenLong and Shina stood across from each other, gleaming with sweat.

"Best two out of three," ShenLong huffed.

"This isn't a contest, you moron!" Shina snapped. "It's a training session."

"Training might not be quite the word for the reckless brutality," Long input aside, earning himself a fierce glare from ShenLong. He shook his head dismissively. "I merely state what I see. But I suppose it is the way of Zoanthropes; the need to fight without constraint."

Shina paused to glance at him before shaking her head somewhat. "Well, I guess we're just slaves to our genetics. But at least we're fighting far away from other people, so we're less likely to cause collateral damage. Though, if we're not careful Uriko's snowman friend may end up falling into that category."

Uriko stopped mid-sip, scowling. "He better not! Leave Mr. Snowman out of it!"

"There's nothing wrong with a fighting spirit," ShenLong said proudly. "Zoanthropes, animals, even humans, all having a burning desire somewhere deep down to fight."

"And not always in the physical sense," Cronos pondered out loud.

"Yeah... and that," ShenLong brushed off, not particularly wanting to incite a deep and meaningful conversation over something that seemed so straight forward to him. He cast a surly glance towards Long. "You're just going soft."

"I just have different ideas about how to use my skills," Long countered smoothly. "I prefer the art of defence than being the perpetrator of violence."

"I think you're just in denial of your true feelings," ShenLong sneered, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. "Even you aren't immune to your true nature." Long said nothing in return and for an awkward moment there was an intense stare down between the two men.

"I hate to interrupt your special moment, gentlemen," Shina broke in with a forced cough. "But I would like to get back to training. Or would you like a little bit longer to be all macho and shit?" They both broke their gaze near enough the same time to regard her.

ShenLong grunted, striking a fist into his palm. "Well if you're so eager to get your ass kicked..."

" _Please_ , you pretty much got your ass handed to you last time! So much for me being rigid; I don't have much to worry about when I'm faced with someone so cocky."

"You'll be eating your words, woman."

"Please try not to kill each other," Cronos interjected, a little concerned they were getting too serious.

"Maybe I could train with you, Master Long?" Uriko piped up, tugging the Chinese man's sleeve. "It feels like forever since the last time!"

Long turned to her, his expression softening. "I would not mind running through some routines with you, just to see how far you have come along. Though, we will not be engaging in quite such a violent display as our companions."

"Though if you prefer training with a _real_ master of the martial arts, you could always beg me to train you," ShenLong called over to the girl.

"Oh, ShenLong, you say such silly things!" Uriko said with a burst of laughter. "Shina, please don't hit him too hard around the head. You'll give him even more crazy thoughts."

A grin burst onto Shina's face. "Wow. Burn, ShenLong!"

"Pfft!" ShenLong brushed off. "Girl doesn't know a good thing. Now, where were we?"

* * *

Alice couldn't believe she'd slept in until almost lunchtime. She blamed it on too many long days finally catching up with her, though it was nice just to have a morning where she wasn't getting up to cater to the whims of others. And as a bonus, she was completely refreshed.

Having showered and dressed in quick succession, Alice padded out into the main room, just as Xion drew back the curtain surrounding the lounge area.

"It's all quiet in here," she remarked. "Are you all alone?"

"Gado and Jenny are in their room. Everyone else is outside somewhere."

"Did anyone say if there were any plans for today?"

He shrugged. "I didn't hear anything. I suppose everyone is just doing their own thing."

"Well, it's not a bad idea to have a lazy day really. It's a rare treat when I don't have to do anything specific." She wandered towards the kitchen. "What do you plan to do today?"

"Read. Though I will have to get myself another book as I just finished the one I was reading." He held up the leather bound item as an indication of this deed.

Alice poured some cold water into a cup, looking back at the young man. "Was it a good book?"

Xion paused, staring at the cover for a moment with consideration. "It was... interesting; very philosophical. Not light reading."

"I can't remember the last time I really sat down and read a book," she said thoughtfully. "It was probably a medical textbook, and that was a while ago now. I mostly read transcripts these days; things that I have to translate into Japanese. Not very exciting stuff if I'm honest about it."

"I just like the prospect of the knowledge books can bring," Xion admitted candidly. "I'm not really into fiction works, though I have read works inspired by real life events, just because writer's do not always engage too strictly on the facts, but give concern to the thoughts and feelings of those involved."

Alice was a little surprised by his disclosure, but something about the way he talked about the subject brought her gladness. He would have never spoken so casually a year ago. "It must give you a sense of empathy," she commented in response.

"I suppose so..." He trailed off, seeming to be caught up in his own thoughts.

"Are you okay with onigiri for lunch?" She asked, recapturing his attention.

"Onigiri?"

"Rice balls. They are simple to make and quite filling too. You can put all sorts of things in them as well to change the flavour. I might do a mixture to suit everybody. Some pickled plum, teriyaki chicken, and maybe some with little shrimps inside."

Xion nodded, a small smile even appearing. "I don't mind. I will be grateful for whatever you decide to make."

The door opened then, and Yugo bounded in, glistening with sweat and slightly out of breath. He closed the door quickly behind him to keep out the cold. He cast a very stern eye towards Xion stood across the way before noticing Alice was stood by the kitchen sink. Ignoring the other man, he cracked a grin as he skidded over towards his girlfriend like a happy puppy.

"You're up! Did you enjoy your extra sleep?" The wolf Zoanthrope asked.

"Yes, it was nice," she confirmed. "You've been out running I take it?"

"Yeah, putting Kenji through his paces!"

"Or maybe it was Kenji putting _you_ through your paces," she remarked noticing how out of breath he was. "You underestimate your brother's determination and endurance."

"Well it's just nice to get him to do something other than reading."

"Funny. We were just talking about books," Alice said, giving a smile to Xion.

Yugo gazed over to the silver-haired man, not shy to show his distain, especially when he kept causing Nagi so many problems. Despite his icy glare, Xion remained completely indifferent.

"If you'll excuse me, I should go change my book," the Unborn said and quietly went back to his bedroom.

"He wasn't bothering you, was he?" Yugo asked her.

Alice scowled. "Not at all. Please don't be rude to him."

"Come on Alice, the guy is weird."

"So are you, put I still put up with you," she said teasingly, before turning serious again. "And I know you're thinking of Nagi, but until we _actually_ know what happened, let's not jump to conclusions. Now, can we change the subject as I really don't want to spend the day arguing with you over it."

"Okay, okay, I'll drop it for now." He leaned on the counter. "What are you up?"

"About to make lunch, which would technically be brunch for me. Onigiri if you're interested. There should be plenty to go around."

"Nice!"

"What are the others doing?" She said, moving towards the fridge to locate some of the ingredients to make lunch.

He sat down on one of the stools. "Shina and ShenLong are training... and when I say training, more like slapping the snot out of each other. And Long is tutoring Uriko on some moves between the cabins." He watched her place the pickled plums and a pack of chicken onto the counter nearby. "Cronos was hanging around, Kenji went back to his cabin, haven't seen Nagi at all, and Gado came back in here after, uh, well..."

Alice gave him an inquisitive stare. "Well what?"

Yugo laughed nervously before he fumbled over an explanation of what had happened earlier with Gado when he had slipped because of a mistimed slap on the back. Alice found herself almost face-palming at what was a very Yugo goof.

"Honestly Yugo," Alice scolded softly. "You're worse than my sister sometimes for causing mayhem."

"Wow, harsh! It takes a lot to be worse than Uriko!"

Alice sighed. "Well, I hope he's okay."

"He's got a bruised ego mostly."

"I'll check on him when I have a moment, though I'm sure Jenny is the perfect salve for his wounds."

"Isn't she just..." Yugo sniggered, though quickly received a punch in the arm. "Ow! I really wish people would stop attacking me today!"

"Well, maybe you should learn to be more careful!"

He sighed, rubbing his tenderised limb. "So, what do you plan to do after lunch?"

"I think I will pamper myself for the rest of the afternoon. I packed some exotic face masks and I figured it would be nice to at least use one while I'm here."

"Sounds like a plan. I might just put my feet up and watch TV."

"After a shower I hope."

"Oh yes, definitely after a shower." He grinned as he pounced off the stool and onto her when she turned her back to the grab a bag of rice, burying his face into her neck as he lay kisses at her throat.

"Yugo! You're all sticky and smelly!"

"Don't you like my manly musk?"

She choked back a laugh within a cringing groan. "You can be so disturbing sometimes! Get off and go get cleaned up!"

He stepped back from her, though not before giving her a peck on the lips. "I'll just save all my dirty thoughts about you for when I'm in the shower." She rolled her eyes, unable to keep the smile off her face as she watched him scamper off towards the bathroom. Grabbing a bowl from behind her, she began to pour the rice in, getting ready to pre-prepare it before popping it into the rice cooker.

A short time later, while she was cooking the chicken for one of the fillings, she heard someone on the stairs. Turning, she was surprised to see Gado slowly descending.

"How are you doing?" She asked instantly, noticing he was taking extra care with each step. "Yugo told me what he did. I'm so sorry!"

"Please, don't worry too much. I was just a little winded was all. He caught me by surprise."

"Are you sure?"

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "It will take more than Yugo and a bit of ice to keep me down. But just to be sure, I'm keeping out of the way for the rest of the day. I just came down to get myself some coffee."

"Let me put a pot on for you," Alice insisted, grabbing a bag of coffee grounds from the cupboard.

"Actually, I'm glad I caught you on your own," he said, lowering his voice. She turned to him, all ears. "I want to let you in on something. You can't tell Yugo and the others. It's sort of a little surprise for tomorrow."


	7. Guests

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.  
**

 **Chapter 7: Guests**

Nagi had made the most of spending a full day cooped up in bed, though it had involved copious amounts of groaning with misery into her pillow. Her stomach had settled given the welcome rest, and had thankfully stopped sounding like it was churning concrete. She had taken in food and water when ShenLong had spared a thought to check on her, plus some antacids during the evening, which had been sent over by Alice after she had learned of her condition. She was at least in a much more energetic state come the night time hours to 'entertain' her beau, though she'd had to be a little more tender with him than she usually would with their love making as he was heavily bruised across the shoulders and torso from so-called 'training'. She asked if he'd really been training or if they'd been beating each other with baseball bats. He was somewhat bemused by her question, and had silenced anymore teasing when he'd latched onto a breast.

The next morning – around sunrise – she rose, leaving ShenLong to enjoy another hour of sleep while she treated herself to a hearty breakfast. She prepared herself the full works with grilled fish, tamagoyaki – a rolled omelette, steamed rice, miso soup, pickles and a dressed green salad. She had made a plentiful batch, enough for ShenLong and a couple of others to enjoy, leaving the extra to keep warm on a hot plate, minus the salad – nobody wanted warm, wilted greenery. It was never worth just making food for one with such things, and it seemed as good a time as any to go all out. It was better than a cup noodle when she'd run out of day old bread to make toast.

As she was just sitting down to eat, Shina and Cronos emerged from their room. Nagi could clearly see that ShenLong wasn't the only one with bruises. The leopard Zoanthrope had a purplish mark on her jaw line, and some smaller less-ugly welts marring the skin of her arms. She seemed in good spirits despite her physical appearance.

"Good morning, stranger," Shina greeted. "How are you today?"

"In a better condition than you it seems," Nagi remarked, taking a bite of her fish.

Shina brushed a thumb across her jaw. "Yeah well, come tomorrow, they'll be barely visible." Nagi nodded knowingly. Being a Zoanthrope had its benefits. "Though, I'm kind of glad for the ache. It makes me feel like I've got a good workout!"

"Workout?!" Nagi shook her head. "I know workouts are tough, but you're not supposed to come out of it looking like a building collapsed on you. You may as well just have slapped each other around with bricks and called it a day."

"Put it this way, I'm sure that's exactly what he wanted to do after the amount of times I beat him down." She went over to the counter to switch on the kettle while Cronos slid onto one of the stools. "Tea?" She asked him.

"Please," he said, glancing over at Nagi's meal. "Did you prepare all that food this morning?"

"Yeah," she said, before taking a sip of miso soup. "It looks a lot, but when you've had plenty of practice throwing it altogether it doesn't take all that long to prepare. There's plenty left to go around if you're interested?" She motioned over to the hotplate. "Help yourself."

He looked over at the food then back to her. "Are you sure?"

"Of course; I made plenty just in case."

"Do you want tea, Nagi?" Shina asked.

"Yes please. Anything but coffee."

The Frenchwoman cringed, grabbing some cups from the overhead cupboard. "Coffee is the equivalent of slurry in my books. I honestly don't know why people drink it."

"After yesterday, I'm inclined to agree."

Cronos helped himself to some tamagoyaki and salad and brought them back to the island bar. "Thank you. It smells very good."

"Do you mind if I have some miso soup?" Shina asked, thumbing over to the pot.

"Of course not; go right ahead!" Nagi watched Cronos taste a bit of the tamagoyaki. His approving nod brought a smile to her face. She was glad her food passed muster with the likes of royalty. She glanced over at Shina. "So, what did you guys do yesterday while I was vegetating?"

Shina leaned against the counter, nursing her bowl of soup. "Trained with ShenLong – as you know – and then I sat around watching Long and Uriko run through some routines. To say how good that girl is at her style, she can be so damn clumsy. Maybe she'll grow out of it one of these days."

"We can only hope."

"Later," she continued, "I drove to town to pick up some supplies. I saw that restaurant owner – Taro, I think it was. He was telling me about some events the town is holding in the next few weeks; some charity stuff mostly and a mini food festival, which sounds alright. He kept me chatting for a while, probably to avoid work... and his wife."

Nagi smirked. "I'll bet." Nagi turned to Cronos. "Did you go to the town as well?"

He shook his head. "I waited here while she went. There were some fascinating television programmes on about renaissance art and Egyptian architecture. Long and I decided to watch them together."

"So Long took over your duties for a few hours?" Nagi directed at Shina with a wry smile.

"Honestly, if anyone was going to turn up try and harm him, they'd be in for an unpleasant surprise. Soldiers, martial arts masters, ninjas, killer nurses..." She grinned, leaning over to pat the young man's shoulder. "Besides, he's quite capable of taking care of himself. Just don't tell his father; otherwise I'll never hear the end of it."

"He won't hear it from me," Nagi assured, giving her a salute.

"Jeanne brought back sushi for dinner," Cronos said. "The eel was delightful."

"Lucky you," Nagi said with a sigh. "I ended up eating cereal. It was the only thing ShenLong was willing to throw together."

"If I'd have known, I'd have brought back extra," Shina said. "Not exactly the domesticated sort is your ShenLong."

"No. I don't have him trained yet." She sipped more soup, savouring the taste. "Did you guys do much after dinner."

"Most of us went to the other cabin to play cards for a couple of hours," Shina said. "I gave up with it to watch a movie Yugo had put on."

"I was taught how to play Rummy," Cronos brought up, a child-like glimmer in his eyes.

"My father's idea," Shina input offhandedly. The kettle finally boiled and she turned to fill a teapot full of piping hot water before placing a tea diffuser inside full of fragrant tea leaves. She set it aside to brew, suddenly scowling to herself. "Shit," she sighed. "I forgot to pick up more tea leaves."

"I'm sure the others might have some in stock," Nagi proposed.

"Yeah, I'll go ask in a while."

"So you were saying. So, did everyone play cards?" Nagi asked before taking a bite of fish.

"Mostly. Though, I have to say, ShenLong is a bit of a sore loser. He got a little bit too competitive. He almost started a fight between him and Long; well, it was mostly ShenLong fighting. Long was pretty much indifferent the whole time, which probably made it worse. Luckily it didn't come to blows thanks to Alice – ever the voice of reason."

"He didn't mention it when he came to bed," Nagi said, chopsticks momentarily hovering over her rice bowl thoughtfully before she dug in.

"I'm sure you were the only thing on his mind when he got to bed," Shina said, giving her knowing eyes. Nagi's face lit up bright red, pretty certain that they must have heard some of what they were doing that night.

"Yes well..." Thankfully Uriko appeared to divert the attention and Nagi keenly turned to greet her. "Ah, good morning! You're up earlier than usual?"

"I smelled fish!" She said, taking in the scent in the air. Her eyes went instantly to Nagi's meal, which lit up instantly with hunger.

"There's more on the side. Make sure you leave some for ShenLong."

Uriko's eyes lit up and she hugged Nagi. "Thanks! You're the best!" She quickly scampered over to the hot plate to serve herself some breakfast.

"Kenji not up yet?" Shina asked the cat-girl.

"He was sitting in bed reading." She took her food to the island counter and sat down. "He had his headset on, which I think was playing some audio study thing for foreign languages."

Shina blew out an astounded breath. "He's going to burn himself out studying all the time. Not much of a vacation if you go back more tired than when you arrived."

"I think he is very admirable," Cronos said, stirring his salad. "Such dedication deserves immense praise. Though I do hope he knows that trying to force so much knowledge into your brain is not always a good thing. I remember when I attended school that-"

"You went to a school?" Nagi cut in somewhat surprised.

He looked astonished at her question. "Yes, of course. You thought I would not attend school?"

"I thought you'd be home schooled or something," she said with a shrug.

"I attended a very prestigious school in Dubai. Only the most esteemed families were accepted there," he said with assurance. "Most were international students, like myself, so I got to meet a lot of people from many different cultures. The school building had such a beautiful view of the ocean. I do sometimes miss those days, though not the regimental nature of how we were educated. They crammed your head so full of information you could barely remember your own name."

Nagi stared at him for a moment before asking: "Were the toilets made of gold?"

Cronos was flabbergasted. "What?! Why would you think that?"

"Sorry, I just thought everything in Dubai was made of gold. It's like one of the most luxurious places to live apparently."

"I think we've gone wildly off topic," Shina verbally stepped in, seeing Cronos was somewhat stumbling over the conversation.

"Sorry, but don't mind me if I daydream about having a golden toilet, okay?" Nagi got up to serve herself more soup, grinning at Uriko as the girl snickered over her statement.

"I am sorry," Cronos apologised all of a sudden, slightly flustered. "I sounded very arrogant just then."

Shina had to laugh, patting his shoulder. "It's okay to be a little arrogant sometimes. But I don't think any of us thought you were really showing off intentionally. I think you were just trying to make a point. But you were right about education. It's the same in a lot of places. I went through it myself at school. And half the stuff you learn you never use in the real world anyway."

"There's a lot of pressure in Japanese schools," Nagi told them as she sat back down with a refilled bowl of miso soup. "There are too many expectations placed on kids shoulders to do well. That's why there are all these cram schools for extracurricular studying. I suppose it's good to instil a desire to do well in school and get a good education, but the system is just so hard and unforgiving. Our society also makes it harder, like, you'd be letting your family down if you don't do well. It always feels like you hang on every exam paper, fearing that one single mark could derail your future."

"School is hard," Uriko said between bites of fish and rice, which were being systematically demolished by her hungry mouth.

Nagi finished her miso soup. "You're telling me. I barely passed my exams to graduate high school. Doesn't help when you're in a coma for months as well... I was lucky to get the marks I did."

"Kenji is so smart," Uriko said slightly enviously. "I don't know why he studies so hard. He seems to know everything already."

"I'm sure the only way he knows stuff is by _actually_ studying," Shina said, flicking the young teen's head. Uriko gave her a playful hiss and went back to eating. Shina turned to grab the teapot, the brew at its optimum, and she began to serve it out to her companions. "Though, to say you have to have good grades to get anywhere in life, that's not always true. Look at Yugo! He didn't even finish high school and he's now the CEO of a company."

"How does a guy like Yugo even get such luck?" Nagi wondered idly. "It's not like he's the brightest bulb in the box."

"I'm sure he'd agree with you." Shina pushed a cup of steaming tea towards Nagi. "It's his charisma that got him to where he is; that, and all the smart people he surrounds himself with, too. Yeah, it is part luck, but if he wasn't the type of guy he was, then he'd have probably been flipping burgers like the rest of the high school dropouts."

"That's true. I kind of admire him in some ways."

"Don't tell him, though," Shina said with a grin. "You'll only go give him an inflated ego." Nagi mirrored her grin, shaking her head.

"So, what's everyone doing today?" Uriko said, changing the subject, bored talking about school related things.

"My father said not to make any plans," Shina recalled from the night before. "He seemed to be pushing that on everyone. I suppose you didn't hear because you had your headphones on pretty much all night." Uriko shrugged sheepishly, flicking a grain of rice at the woman. It missed completely.

"Why didn't he want us making any plans?" Nagi inquired.

Shina shrugged. "Who knows? I'm sure we'll find out soon enough."

* * *

The cabin still smelled strongly of cakes, a sugary-sweet perfume that hung in the air teasingly. Yugo had been curious as to why Alice had spent most of yesterday evening baking. It wasn't anyone's birthday that he could recall; then again, he was terrible at remembering birthdays anyway. He only remembered Alice's because she'd probably never speak to him again if he forgot.

What was worse, he wasn't even allowed to sample any of the delicious treats that kept stacking up across the sideboards; and his attempt to sneak away a single cupcake had earned him a thwack around the ear with a wooden spoon.

"No you don't!" She'd scolded like a mother to a naughty child. "They're for tomorrow!"

He'd tried to pry out of her why the cakes were needed for the next day, but she had told him not to be so nosey. He was still deliberating come the morning if it really was someone's birthday or they were just having a special picnic or something, though a picnic in snow didn't sound particularly enjoyable. He didn't like the idea of getting wet buttocks and eating frozen sandwiches.

Gado seemed to know the reason why Alice had suddenly turned the cabin into a bakery, but he was keeping deceptively quiet as well. All he'd said was that nobody was to make any plans. Yugo wasn't quite sure what scheme had been put in place, but he hoped it didn't involve another barbeque in the snow, even if the food had been exceptionally delicious. Then again, he wouldn't have put it passed is older friend to come up with something equally bizarre.

Alice had climbed out of bed before Yugo that morning and was currently decorating cookies and cakes with extreme focus. He'd never seen so many colours of icing before. Despite overtaking the kitchen, she'd left a space on the island counter for breakfast for everyone, making it clear that she wasn't to be disturbed and they could help themselves to the cereal and pastries on offer. He wasn't particularly enthralled with the croissants, but he wasn't going to risk being kicked by an angry rabbit if he complained.

He scoffed down his breakfast with a mug of hot coffee and went for a quick lap around the block to burn off some steam. He noticed Gado's car was gone on his return to the cabin. This perked his curiosity even more, but when he'd asked both Alice and Jenny – the latter who'd appeared briefly downstairs before going off to preen, as she'd said – both had told him that he was just running errands and would be back soon.

Showered and in more comfortable clothing, Yugo lounged about in front of the television, sneaking a peek back now and again at his girlfriend, who seemed to be in joyous state as she set out plates full of pretty treats that he wasn't even allowed to touch. His inner wolf felt like whimpering with dismay. Whatever had her giddy must have meant something good was about to happen, not that he didn't stop feeling suspicious about it all. Despite comforting himself with a Super Sentai show – which was a lot like ones he used to watch as a kid – he was still distracted by the thought of something going on. The more he thought about it, the more he realised he didn't like surprises.

He cast a glance towards Long and Xion, who were – as usual – reading their books. Both were relaxed and unconcerned that something was being set up behind their backs. He'd prodded them earlier over it, trying to see if they knew anything, but it was clear they were just as in the dark as he was.

"If you wait, you will find out," had been the last thing Long had said on the matter before giving his book his complete focus.

He messaged Kenji in a last ditch effort to see if it was anyone's birthday. All he got back was one word: 'No'.

As much as dynamic robots and explosions should have been entertaining, he wasn't particularly in the mood for it. He didn't know whether he was just grumpy that Alice was forbidding him from having cake, or that he just didn't like the idea that he wasn't in on whatever secret was being withheld from him.

His ears peaked as Alice let out an excited clap.

"There! Done!" She exclaimed, drawing all eyes from the lounge to the kitchen. Yugo immediately hopped up, going over to the island counter. She sharply pointed a finger at him without turning. "But no touching."

"I just wanted to see," Yugo said, his tone a little whiner than he wanted it to be. But maybe it was all the delicious items laid out before him that made him feel like a kid being locked out of the candy shop.

There were plentiful amounts of frosted cupcakes, animal-shaped cookies and larger cakes with pretty iced decorations. There were even multicoloured jellies set in small dishes, topped with whipped cream, which Alice was promptly moving into the refrigerator.

Long and Xion even decided to put down their books temporarily to see what Alice had been putting so much effort into making.

"I am impressed, Alice," Long admired. "You made all these last night?"

"Most of them," she said, inspecting her creations with a keen eye, making sure they all met her exacting standards. "Some things I waited to make this morning. The jellies needed to set overnight, and other things just needed to be cold before I decorated them." She sighed to herself, tapping her lip thoughtfully. "I hope I have enough."

"Are you hoping to feed an army?" Xion asked, not sure what to make of her cooking efforts, though he did seem intrigued by it all.

"Some people have the stomach of an army," Alice said, her comment pointed towards Yugo.

The wolf grinned. "I'm a growing boy."

Just then, the front door opened and Uriko trotted in, followed by Shina.

"Knock, knock!" The girl exclaimed.

"You didn't even knock," Yugo pointed out.

Uriko glanced at him, slowly walking backwards to the entrance, never breaking eye contact as she knocked on the door, mouthing 'knock, knock' again.

"We're not here," Yugo said, turning away.

"You're so silly!" Uriko said, closing the door behind them.

Shina saluted the group before taking note of all the sweet treats. "Whoa, did you rob a cake shop?"

"Nope, this is all down to Alice's cooking skills," Yugo said, still finding it hard to resist against pouncing on a cupcake just across the way. He had to be good otherwise she wouldn't let him have any at all.

Uriko gawked with clear delight. "Wowie! It all looks so good! Can I h-"

Alice put a hand up. "No. Nobody touches anything just yet."

Uriko deflated instantly, pouting. "Aww, why not?"

"It's not time yet!" She said, moving a few spoons over to the sink to wash. "Later! And if anyone even thinks of stealing any, I will personality beat you unconscious with an ice cream scoop."

"Is there going to be ice cream, too?" Uriko beamed, ignoring the threat.

Alice sighed. "... Maybe." She could only hope that nobody would attempt to thwart all her good efforts by snatching one away behind her back. She glanced over her shoulder at Yugo, whose eager fingers were rapping the countertop. Noticing her stare, he slowly moved his hands behind his back, showing defeat.

Shina sniffed the sweet scent lingering around her. "Do you think it's possible to get diabetes through inhalation?"

"At least I'd be getting something," Yugo grumbled, earning him another harsh stare that threatened to burn holes through him.

"I can already feel the pounds piling on just looking at all these cakes," Shina joked, patting her stomach. "So, what's all this for?"

"I am also very curious as to why we need all these delightful treats," Long said, eying Alice with curiosity. "Clearly whatever had been planned by Gado is at the forefront of any plans made today. If this is not for some sort of party, then maybe we are expecting some guests?"

Alice turned away, hoping not to give anything away. "I'm saying nothing."

"Suspicious," Xion said, with a slight teasing lilt.

"Yeah, well, speaking of my father," Shina cut in. "Where is he?"

"Errands apparently," Yugo said dubiously.

Shina folded her arms. "No doubt gathering his arsenal or something to launch his surprise..." She glanced at Alice. "Do you happen to have a box of tea going spare? I forgot to pick some up when I was out yesterday. I completely overestimated how much I had left."

"Actually, we do," Alice said, moving over to a cabinet to retrieve a small box. "It might not be quite what you're used to though, but it's still quite nice."

"It will do. Anything 'tea' is good with me. How much do you want for-"

"You don't have to pay for it," Alice assured, offering over the box. "Share and share alike, after all!"

Shina accepted the package gratefully. "Thanks."

The sound of a car approaching grabbed Alice's attention and she moved away from the kitchen to the lounge window. "Oh, he's back!" She exclaimed, heading to grab her shoes at the door. "I finished just in time!"

Yugo cast a glance at an equally confused Uriko and they followed after the rabbit Zoanthrope as she whisked her coat off the rack and bounded out through the door. Car doors could be heard opening and shutting as they stepped out, with Gado appearing seconds later around the side of the cabin, hands tucked into his jacket pockets to fend off the brisk cold.

"Ah, a welcoming party," Gado regarded, just as Shina, Long and Xion joined the congregation that had already filtered out onto the veranda. Just then, a small head appeared around the corner to regard them, blue hair dancing in the faintest of breezes.

Alice immediately lit up with glee. "Mana!" She exclaimed joyfully. "It's so good to see you again."

Mana Kamishiro beamed, bowing to Alice as she approached. "I am so glad to see you again as well." She was taken a little by surprise when the rabbit Zoanthrope crouched down to hug her enthusiastically, but settled into her arms, returning the gesture with fondness.

Gado chuckled, turning to regard another figure who stepped away from his car. "As I told you, Alice was very excited to hear of your visit."

Ryoho smiled with a nod. "It is humbling to be welcomed so graciously."

The group on the veranda were almost speechless, not expecting either as their potential guests. Though, Uriko didn't remain silent for long, letting out a squeal that sent the local wildlife scattering, and most of her companions flinching.

"MY PAKUPON!" Uriko said, charging towards Mana and Alice like a bull. She almost knocked them over as she leapt on them both to join in with the hug. "Wow! You came to visit us all the way out here! I'm so happy!"

Xion scowled, but not really with regards to the visitors. His ears were still ringing. "Must that girl always be so loud?"

"Unfortunately, Uriko doesn't come with volume control," Shina remarked.

"And we can't send her back for a refund either," Yugo joked, earning a snigger from Shina and a small smile from Long. Xion just grunted impassively.

"By the way," Shina suddenly thought. "What's a 'Pakupon'?"

Yugo shrugged. "No idea."

From the other cabin, ShenLong threw open the door, leaning to look outside. "What the hell was that disgusting noise?" He called out across the way.

"It sounded like Uriko," Nagi said offhandedly, moving to stand beside him.

"What a fucking surprise," he grumbled sarcastically as he stepped out, deciding to go and see what was happening. Nagi followed after him, closing the door behind him.

Alice managed to unlatch Uriko from around them so she could pull back to let Mana have some breathing space to greet the others, who had left the veranda to meet them. Well, all aside Xion who remained stiffly where he'd previously stood.

"I'm sure most of you remember Ryoho and Mana from Gaia's Temple," Gado introduced.

"Um, I'd say yes, but I think I was unconscious for some of those events," Shina said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck.

"This is your daughter, right?" Mana asked Gado.

"Yes. This is Shina, as she prefers to be called," he confirmed.

Ryoho and Mana bowed to her, prompting Shina to make an awkward bow of her own, not really used to performing the greeting despite often visiting Japan. She much preferred a good old dependable handshake.

"So, _you_ guys are the big surprise," Yugo remarked, feeling somewhat relieved after everything. "I hope you like cake. Like, _a lot_ of cake."

"Cake?" Ryoho repeated, as he looked down at Mana, who immediately looked up at Alice with bright eyes at the prospect.

"I always keep a promise when it comes to cake," Alice said with a wink. The young girl giggled.

Long bowed to the pair in polite greeting. "It is a pleasant surprise. What brings you this far out?"

"It is a tradition for us to travel across Japan to visit many shrines and temples to offer the blessing of Gaia, especially when it comes to the New Year," Ryoho informed them. "We have been travelling since early December to cover as many as we could, starting at the furthest point on Kyushu. This morning, we visited our last shrine to offer prayer and blessings."

"That is an impressive journey," Long responded, adjusting his glasses. "You must be tired."

"The weeks have been very long and busy, though we have enjoyed the experience. But I must admit I will be glad to return home again."

"It was wonderful that it just so happened the last part of our journey coincided with your visit here," Mana piped up, clasping her hands together merrily under her chin. "So we had assistance in contacting Mr. Gado to make arrangements to see you all again." She turned as Nagi and ShenLong approached, the former's expression reflecting the same level of surprise as everyone else upon seeing them. "Hello, Nagi. I am glad to see you are well."

"Oh, Mana! This is unexpected!" Nagi greeted. "It's great to see you." She heard her beau grunt and turned to look at him. ShenLong eyed Mana charily.

"Aren't you the girl who sent that 'fortune teller' to seek me out?" He asked, making sarcastic finger motions on the mention of the 'fortune teller'.

Mana blushed sheepishly. "Ah yes, well..."

Ryoho chuckled. "I am surprised at you, Mana," he said in a teasing tone. "It is unlike you to make such mischief."

"It was for a good cause, I promise," she assured, her face bright red.

"Care to explain?" Nagi asked ShenLong, cocking her head with confusion.

"Maybe later," he brushed off.

It was then Mana and Ryoho took in Xion still stood on the veranda like a placid statue. The glances they exchanged were somewhat tense, though even more so when Nagi turned to stare at Xion, her expression darkening.

"I am surprised," Mana said softly. "The 'White Zoanthrope' of all people."

"Some may say silver more than white... or maybe ivory..." Xion countered somewhat facetiously in a smooth tone.

Ryoho huffed, ignoring his words. "Still a very cold figure," he regarded. "Though, not quite the same as before..."

"No," Mana agreed. "The dark spirit surrounding him is gone."

"And yet he's still alive," Nagi muttered dismissively. "And here I thought Gaia wanted rid of the Unborn." Xion glanced towards her, saying nothing.

"The mind of the Unborn is gone," Mana said. "Only the shell is left, controlled by the human psyche. Gaia does not deem him a threat anymore."

"I'm glad to hear it," Xion said, with the faintest hint of sarcasm. "If you'll excuse me." He turned and walked back into the cabin.

"Good riddance," Nagi huffed quietly.

"Maybe we should go inside?" Alice suggested. "It would be much more comfortable than talking in the snow. I can make a start on food for lunch, too. Everyone is welcome. I'll make plenty."

"We are going to have quite the feast today," Long remarked. "If you wish for any assistance, Alice, I am more than happy to offer my services. You have already done quite a lot with your cake making."

"I really don't mind," she insisted. "But if you want to help, I won't refuse the offer."

"I better go let Kenji and Cronos know you're here," Shina said, flipping the tea box in one hand. "I'm sure they wouldn't want to miss out of the food either."

The group, minus Shina, made their way up into the cabin, happy to shut out the chill. Inside, everyone found a place to settle themselves as Yugo started up the log fire to keep everyone toasty.

Xion was nowhere to be seen – much to Nagi's relief – having removed himself to his bedroom to stay out of the way. Ryoho settled on one of the seats with Gado and Jenny, the latter of whom had finally appeared after taking an excessive amount of time to dress herself up. Uriko and Mana sat together near the sofa, with the former showing her young companion one of the new games on her handheld console. Alice was already back in this kitchen gathering everything together for lunch with Long at her side, rolling up his sleeves to take some of the burden off her shoulders on the catering side.

Moments later, Shina returned, having dropped off her tea and retrieved Kenji and Cronos to greet their guests. Mana instantly stood when she saw them, as did Ryoho as he watched his young companion approach the young men.

"I'm sure you haven't met Prince Cronos before," Shina introduced. "Cronos, this is Mana and Ryoho."

"It really is a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness," Mana greeted with a deep brow. Ryoho also bowed with the same diligent respect.

Cronos returned the motion. "I am glad to have this opportunity to meet you. Jeanne says that you are humble retainers of Gaia's Temple. I have heard many great things about the temple and your work."

"We dedicate ourselves wholly to bringing a peaceful balance to this planet," Mana said with some air of pride.

"Though," Ryoho said hesitantly, "I fear that it may not be an easy task with the clash of species."

Cronos nodded gravely. "Yes, these are not easy times..."

"Pfft! When are there ever easy times?" ShenLong cut in, a little bored with all the formalities. "We're all just bred to bring misery onto ourselves."

Someone might have cut in to tell him to shut up – particularly Shina, who was quite eager to remind him that he was a dick – but Mana was quick to respond: "I suppose you are right. That is just the nature of such beings living in close proximity to each other. There will always be someone who is slighted. But we can only try to understand and accommodate each other."

"It'll probably take a long time before humans and Zoanthropes get along," Nagi input, leaning back on the island counter. "You have to look at the bigger picture. Things like sexism and racism have existed for God knows how long. Don't get me wrong, I always have hope, but stuff like this won't go away over night. We just need to keep pushing forward and fight the good fight."

"That's why W.O.C. exists in the first place," Yugo refuted, poking at the crackling logs in the fireplace. "And I'm happy to keep fighting for peace."

"Well, maybe not fight quite in the way you might want to, Yugo," Alice said, casting him a slightly disapproving look. "I think that's the problem in the first place. That's all humans believe we're here for, to fight... to kill even."

"Humans will get used to Zoanthropes eventually," Gado said with a sigh, leaning on the back of the couch to regard the others. "They just have to realise they're not the only dominate species on the planet now. Having to share such a role has made them defensive."

"Humans are somewhat arrogant creatures," Jenny inferred, following up on her beau's statement. "But they are more afraid than anything of what they don't understand. They don't like that there is another strand of evolution, where many of them have been left high and dry. If all humans had evolved this way, there would have been no arguing on the subject. But that's just how nature is. Complicated and unfair."

"Wow, you guys got all serious all of a sudden!" Uriko exclaimed with a huff, bouncing to her feet. "Do we have to talk about such sad stuff? We're on vacation!"

"I suppose we can forget the outside world, if only for a little while," Cronos acquiesced.

"You all take on the burdens of the world on your shoulders," Mana said admirably. "I think you have all earned some time to relax."

"Except ShenLong," Uriko put in teasingly. "He just spends most of his time drunk."

"Why you-" ShenLong reached out to grab the nearest thing behind him to throw at the girl, which happened to be a plate with some cupcakes on. But before he could even touch it, Alice slammed her hand onto his, pinning it to the counter. Her eyes were like fire.

"If you even think of touching that, I will castrate you," she threatened ominously.

* * *

In the few hours up until lunch was served, everyone was engaged in activity within the one cabin; despite the room being overly packed, everyone seemed comfortable and at ease. Most of the group had decided to play cards in a repeat of the previous night, which switched between Rummy, Chase the Ace, and finally to Snap, which Gado bowed out of and had insisted anyone who was participating to play it on the floor as he was certain anyone who was too overzealous trying to play it on the table would accidently break it when slamming their hands down.

ShenLong and Nagi had decided to stay out of it, as most of the group were not particularly impressed with the former's temperament when it came to card games, so they just watched videos on her phone, which consisted mostly of people having comical accidents. Uriko and Mana listened to the cat-girl's music player, which Uriko had popped her cat headphones on the young girl to experience some pop songs. Mana listened intently, enjoying some of the tracks her companion played for her from her collection.

Alice and Long continued their efforts in the kitchen to prepare a plentiful lunch for everyone. She had settled on making a thick, chunky vegetable soup with a side serving of rice. Alice had laid out all the ingredients and given half of the chopping to Long. She had to admire his cutting skills and how adept he was with a knife at making such perfect cubes of the vegetables. He had said offhand that he had much experience with a knife, though there was something about the way he said it that Alice realised it was probably going to go on to a topic that neither would enjoy, so he diverted the conversation to how enjoyed making simple foods even when he lived out in the wilds. Though they didn't get too in depth on the subject, Alice was always intrigued by how he sustained himself all that time when he lived in a cave.

It took time for the vegetables to fully cook through, and even more time for the soup to reach its optimum consistency. It was just after one that afternoon when Alice started to dish it out to her hungry cabin friends. Those who couldn't sit around the island bar simply sat on the floor – which Yugo referred to as pretty 'hip'.

Alice served up the last dish of soup with a bowl of rice, and put it on a small tray, leaving her other companions to freely tuck in as she went over to the bedroom at the back. She knocked on the door.

"It's only me," she announced. "I've brought you food."

"Come in," Xion softly consented.

She opened the door and stepped into the room. The young man was sat on his bed leaning back against the wall, listening to a small radio that he'd set up on his bedside table. The programme he was listening to was in a language that Alice hadn't really heard much of, though assumed it was probably Swedish when she recalled his place of birth. He shuffled forward as she approached, presenting the tray to him. He accepted it, offering a small 'thank you' as he went to take up seat on a chair at the end of his bed, placing the tray on his lap.

"You know, you are welcome to join us," Alice said, feeling rather sad that he'd isolated himself away from the group.

He gently shook his head. "I don't think that is really wise. If it isn't Nagi wishing a curse upon me, I'm certain our guests would not be very enthusiastic about dining with the enemy of their deity."

"I'm sure they have no ill-will against you," she reasoned, brushing her hair behind her ear idly. "Not anymore at least. I just don't want to see you treated so poorly when you're trying so hard."

He was somewhat touched by her kindness. "I'm grateful for your support, but I'd rather just let everyone else enjoy themselves than bring a dark cloud over your gathering. Besides, I have things to keep myself preoccupied with. I will not be bored."

Alice sighed. "Well, if you're sure." Though, she quickly became more enthusiast, fist pumping randomly. "Don't you worry! I will make sure you get plenty of cake!"

He smiled at her firm albeit benevolent declaration. "Thank you. That would be appreciated."

She nodded, and though reluctant to leave him all on his own, she returned to the main room, closing his door quietly behind her.

Xion looked down at the food laid out on the tray. It smelled good, and he was certain that it would taste exceptional. Alice was a fantastic cook, so he was in no doubt he would enjoy it, though he inwardly sighed at the rice bowl, a part of him starting to get a little sick of eating so much of the grain. It was popular part of Asian cuisine, something he couldn't seem to escape now he was settled in Japan. He'd tried to avoid it where he could, but in such cases as this, he grinned and bared it. He missed the cuisine of his homeland, which he rarely had the opportunity to experience now. He wished he could have more meatballs, pickled herring, or even rose hip soup.

But beggars couldn't be choosers after all, and he was grateful that someone had taken the time to prepare him a meal. But before he could pick up his spoon, he heard his phone call for his attention. He'd received a message. Setting his tray aside for a brief moment, he plucked his phone from his pocket and checked what he'd received.

What appeared on his screen left him dumbfounded. It was a picture of a very gelatinous, ugly fish – a blobfish to be exact – that had been taken from a textbook. It had a very miserable expression, if it could be called one – he didn't think fish could really make expressions in the way humans could.

Uranus had sent him the picture.

' _I was reading a book about sea creatures and saw this fish. I thought of you. He has the same expression you get sometimes.'_

Xion scoffed loudly. Uranus was usually such a serious individual, but sometimes the layers peeled back and she revealed the more light-hearted part of herself, which also involved her teasing him about his icy disposition, particularly about how cheerless he could be at times. He did find himself chuckling that she had thought of him enough to want to mock him playfully.

He returned a response to her message: _'I can assure you, that if I ever start to resemble that fish in a significant way, I will give up on life itself. Though, I will impress myself if when I'm old that I can make my lips sag that low.'_ He set his phone back in his pocket and picked up his meal again, retrieving the spoon to dip into the thick soup, bringing the chunky potage to his lips, blowing on it before putting it in his mouth. As expected, it was delicious.


	8. Haunting

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.  
**

 **A/N: Been nearly a year surprisingly! But finally, I managed to complete this chapter! Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 8: Haunting**

The power that sugar could have over people could be pretty surprising to see in action. From the moment Alice announced that everyone could tuck into her selection of treats, the swarm that amassed into the kitchen was almost terrifying. Yugo and Uriko stampeded towards the countertop, while the rest followed with respectable restraint, though they all had a shared a look of delight in their eyes to finally get to tuck into what had been 'forbidden fruit'.

Alice had made sure to put a few pieces aside for Xion and take them through to his room, collecting his empty food plates from lunch. He thanked her and remained in his room to enjoy his dessert. As much as she didn't want to leave him alone, he seemed quite content with his situation and let him be.

Mana had been served one of everything there was to offer and was close to overloading on the sugary goodness. There was something wrong on some level about plying a ten-year-old with so much sugar, but it was a rare treat, and everyone was happy to pamper her, knowing full well she was probably the least of their troubles when they came to a sugar high. A certain cat-girl was the one to watch, though maybe even Yugo as well with the way he wolfed his desserts down – a pun Shina was more than happy to throw his way.

Uriko downed jelly and cake as if it was going out of fashion. Her expression was pure ecstasy the whole time. "Alice, your food is always the best!" She complimented with abject joy. "You should have become a baker!"

"I'm not _that_ good!" Alice brushed off modestly, a tint of blush creeping across her cheeks. "But if there are some things I like to get right, it's cake and cookies!"

"Your cookies sure are cute," Nagi said holding up a rabbit shaped one. "I feel guilty almost eating them." Yugo was about to bite into a rabbit one then stopped, looking at it with a sudden feeling of guilt, like it might be sacrilege for him to consume a rabbit. He decided to pick up a dog shaped one instead. He could deal with a bit of – more or less – cannibalism.

Despite everyone happily indulging in the sweet treats on offer, there still seemed to be quite a lot left. "I wonder if Madame Momoyama might like to have some cake, too?" Alice wondered as she glanced over the remains.

Gado smirked, sipping some freshly brewed coffee to wash down the last of his big slice of lemon drizzle cake. "She wouldn't say no to cake. I think she'd even appreciate it actually."

"I'll take the cake to her," Uriko offered, bouncing up at breakneck speed. "It means I get to see Shimo!"

"Shimo?" Mana asked curiously.

"He's a cute little cat Shina rescued the other day," Uriko told her excitedly. "The poor little guy was stuck up a tree and would have had a nasty accident if she hadn't have gone up to save him."

"My heroic deed for the vacation," Shina said with a triumphant flick of the head.

"I would like to meet Shimo, too," Mana said. "I hope he will not mind a fox too much?"

"He seems to like everyone, especially when they have food!" Uriko said assuredly. "I know I do!"

"You can take some left-over fish from the refrigerator for him," Alice said, starting to pack some cakes into a container for Uriko to take for Momoyama. Popping the top on, she handed it to her sister, who quickly rummaged in the fridge to retrieve the fish to put into a little food bag.

"Would you like me to come with you?" Ryoho asked Mana.

She shook her head, smiling. "No, thank you. I will be fine with Uriko."

"Not many people say that with confidence," Yugo said, earning a raspberry blown his way by the cat-girl.

"Give Shimo a chin scratch from me," Shina called over to the girls as they headed to the door to put on their shoes.

Uriko saluted. "Will do! See you in a while!" Shortly after, the two departed.

"You are very protective of your little companion," Jenny noted as she glanced at Ryoho.

"We look out for each other. She does much to protect me, and I return the kindness. She is like a daughter to me," the monk said honestly, which earned a gushing 'aww' from Alice.

"While your young charge is temporarily in the care of Uriko, do not hesitate to take a moment to relax," Long said. "Are there any more games that you would like to partake in?"

Ryoho mulled over it. "Well... I do carry a Shogi board around with me. I find it a relaxing game. Mana makes quite the opponent."

"Well, well," Jenny cooed with admiration. "The extent of Mana's talents is never-ending."

"Shogi is like chess, right?" Shina asked Long.

"Yes, that is right," he confirmed, before turning back to Ryoho. "How about taking on a new opponent? I have to admit, it had been a while since I played, but I would not mind shaking off the rust to challenge for a game."

"Challenge accepted," Ryoho said with a chuckle.

"I think I'll just eat more cake," Yugo said, wandering back over to the kitchen to see what was left over.

* * *

Uriko and Mana walked at a modest pace towards Momoyama's reception cabin, all the way the former babbling on in an abridged recollection of how things had been going on at home and school over the last six months. Uriko could make the simplest of things sound exciting, as if it was straight out of an adventure book – even if the story was only about her escapades in the cafeteria. Mana was amused by her companion's observations of everyday things. Uriko was an excitable ball of youthful whimsy, something that was appreciated by those who surrounded her. (Well, maybe not ShenLong...)

They eventually reached the cabin, where Momoyama was stood, intercepting a delivery of groceries. The delivery man, a middle-aged guy, handed a clipboard over for the older woman to sign, rubbing his gloved hands together to keep them warm. He glanced over as the two girls approached.

"I think you have company," he said to Momoyama, who grunted lowly and looked up at the newcomers, eying young Mana for a second longer. Neither could tell if she was being judgemental or merely inquisitive.

"Is there anything you want?" She asked flatly albeit not unkindly.

"We brought you cake!" Uriko exclaimed, showing her the container of sweet treats. "And some fish for Shimo!"

"Shimo?" The driver asked, seemingly amused. "You have a gentleman friend now?"

"She is talking about the cat," Momoyama responded, not playing up to his question.

"And here you had me thinking your heart had thawed," he jested.

"Goichi, you'll be having problems with your heart if you don't mind your tongue."

The delivery man – Goichi – just laughed off her threat. "Never change, Madame. Never change." He accepted the clipboard back and watched her take away her groceries, always resistant to help; he'd stopped offering long ago, just to avoid to aggro of a venomous lecture. He turned to Uriko and Mana, offering a wry smile. "You girls on vacation?"

"Uh huh! Well, I guess Mana technically isn't," Uriko said, glancing at her young companion.

"It is more like a pilgrimage," Mana said. "But you could say that we are also on a sort of vacation as well."

"You're so eloquent for someone so young," Goichi remarked of Mana.

"Mana's super smart!" Uriko boasted, much to Mana's embarrassment.

"I don't doubt it!" Goichi said, reaching into his jacket pocket to retrieve a packet of cigarettes. He pulled one out from an already open pack as he patted his pocket to locate his lighter. He paused thoughtfully as he glanced at the two, who were waiting for Momoyama to return. "Say, are you girls interested in folklore and legends?"

"What kind of legends?" Uriko asked curiously.

"Well, like legends of ghosts. This area is pretty well known for some pretty spooky stories."

Uriko's hairs stood on end, and she gulped back some trepidation – a reaction Goichi relished – though Mana remained impassive though curious.

"Are there _really_ ghost stories about this place?" Uriko dared to question, not sure if she wanted to know the answer. If there was one thing she didn't like, it was horror stories.

"Well, there is one particular one that explains why this area is haunted." He found the lighter in his back pocket and lit his cigarette.

"Haunted!" Uriko balked, clearly alarmed at the thought.

"Uh huh," he confirmed with a slight grin, then took a drag of his cigarette, something he'd been waiting for since before the morning run.

"What's the story about?" Mana asked unperturbed.

Goichi blew out a cloud of smoke, which danced in the cold air before fluttering away forgotten. "Well, the story goes that during the feudal period hundreds of years ago, there was this family whose father was an esteemed warlord and owned the region. One of his sons was a handsome and intelligent young man – artistic, bookish; a respected scholar even at such a young age. Well, this son fell in love with one of the serving girls who tended to his sisters. He came upon her when he noticed her listening to him play his koto. It was something she regularly liked to do when she wasn't undertaking her duties. She was a pretty girl in her own right, who just happened to come from a poor background, and she went into service for the warlord's family to support her own. They would meet regularly in secret, and the young man became determined to marry her. Of course, like most of these forbidden romances, eventually word got out and his father was none too pleased about it. Because she came from such a low standing, his father didn't support their love. If he wanted her, she could be a concubine, not a principle wife."

"Well that's not fair!" Uriko scoffed, cheeks puffing out with indignation.

"That's just how things were, I'm afraid," Goichi said with a shrug. "But anyway, the lovers decided they would get married in secret and flee to a far-off land to start a new life. This guy sure was dedicated to his love to throw away his position and inheritance just for her. Honestly, she should have just accepted her lot, even if it wasn't a position she preferred."

"Some people are not beholden to material possessions or position," Mana said thoughtfully. "Love is sometimes all that people desire."

Goichi's cigarette hung on his lips with surprise at her observation. She sure wasn't like any little girl he'd ever met. Well, maybe the traditional garb was also a giveaway she wasn't just your everyday kid clamouring for the latest tech and eating an excess of greasy junk food. He exhaled a plume of smoke as he removed the cigarette from his mouth. "Yes, well, anyway... The lovers made arrangements to meet up in this wooded area where the cabins stand now. But someone else intercepted their plans. You see, the young man had an older brother, who was envious of how much their father favoured the younger brother. He was probably more concerned about consolidating his position as heir to the clan. It would have probably suited him well for his younger brother to run away with his lover, but he was a ruthless kind of guy, and he much preferred to see his brother out of the way and cause as much pain and misery as possible."

Uriko frowned. "I don't like the sound of that."

"Yeah, I'm sure you can see where this is going." He flicked some ash away idly, crossing his arms. "After a bit of digging, he found out when and where they were supposed to meet, and knowing the girl had headed off ahead, the brother sent an assassin to kill her, right here in these woods! He slit the poor girl's throat from ear to ear!"

"That's awful!" Uriko exclaimed, instinctively put a hand to her throat.

"When the young man learned that she had been killed, he was filled with heart-wrenching grief. Not knowing that his brother had been behind the demise of his lover, he confided his misery to him. Not one to miss a chance, the brother deviously used twisted words in the guise of support to imply that the only way he could be happy was to join his lover in the afterlife. So, the distraught young man, driven by love, commit suicide, hoping they were be reunited in death." He took another drag of his cigarette before speaking again. "Word is, the ghost of that young woman wanders around here, lost, searching for her lover, sobbing mournfully. Some say even the young man's ghost can be found wandering where his father's old castle stood, searching for her as well, having returned after discovering her spirit had not crossed to the afterlife. Though, you don't want to come across her... I've heard anyone who encounters her as been scared to death by the drowning sorrow in her empty eyes..."

"What a load of cr-," came a grunting reply, which cut off knowing she was in the presence of young girls. Momoyama approached, hands free of groceries, seemingly unimpressed by what she'd happened to hear on stepping out again. "So, where did you hear this story, hmm?"

Goichi shrugged nonchalantly. "Around. Like all stories, people just tell them to me and I just pass them along."

Momoyama narrowed her eyes behind her thick spectacles, stepping up to Goichi like a murderous gnome. "Don't think I don't know your game. You should be ashamed of yourself, trying to scare these kids with your drivel." She completely ignored Uriko trying to point out that she wasn't a kid behind her. "I'm sure your mother regrets letting you out in daylight hours."

He huffed, pretending to be offended. He waved a hand, brushing off her jibes. "Madame, you don't seem to have the capacity for mythology," he said in a faux-haughty manner.

"Haven't you got work to do rather than filling people's heads with such _twaddle_?" Momoyama stiffly asked. She had stronger words to use, but she was biting her tongue in present company.

"You were my last delivery," Goichi said, tipping his hat to her with a cheeky smile, going back to his smoke. "Besides," he said through a fog of smoke billowing from his lips, "I'm sure these girls appreciate a good old folktale to educate their eager minds." Uriko's drained expression probably said quite the opposite, though Mana just stared at him blankly, unreadable.

"You don't have enough brain cells to share any sort of education. If you had, you wouldn't be delivering my groceries."

Goichi clutched his chest, mock offended. "You know how to dig the knife in deep!"

"I can give you a physical demonstration if you so wish," Momoyama threatened with a huff, her patience wearing thin.

Taking this as his cue to leave, Goichi tipped his hat again. "Always a pleasure, Madame. Take care now, girls." With a musical whistle, Goichi headed back down the driveway to his awaiting van.

"So, that story..." Uriko began, turning to look at Momoyama.

She scoffed loudly. "You shouldn't pay much attention to the likes of him. He just likes to get a reaction through his stupidity."

"So, this area is not patrolled by a restless spirit?" Mana questioned, having been dubious the whole time.

"There are all sorts of strange tales about this whole area, not that I can recall hearing that particular story he regaled you with. I couldn't tell you one offhand, though. I'm not really interested in those sorts of things." Momoyama cleared her throat. "Anyway, forget him. You mentioned cake before?"

Uriko's expression perked up, tossing aside her nervousness for the moment. "Oh yes! My sister made lots of dessert and she wanted you to have some!" She gave the container to the older woman, who nodded her appreciation even though her face remained stiff.

"I'll indulge latter and return the container to you in the morning."

"Okay!" Just then, their attention was drawn to a newcomer. Little Shimo, who mewled his arrival as he stepped away from the reception hut, strode at a dignified pace as he approached the gathering. "Shimo!" Uriko greeted excitedly, earning curious eyes for a brief moment, before his gaze snapped upon the container Momoyama was holding.

"Greedy wretch," Momoyama said, the words coming out not quite as harshly as she would usually impart. "Just like a man, always guided by his stomach. Well, this is my treat, not yours."

"So, this is Shimo," Mana said, happy – even for a Fox – to see the little cat. "He is very handsome."

Shimo gazed at Mana with a silent intrigue. He was cautious, as was to be expected, but Mana didn't offer a threatening posture or scent, so he didn't back away. Indeed, with Uriko's clear comfort in the young girl's presence – even throwing her arms around the young oracle – was enough for Shimo to want to meet her as well. He trusted a fellow feline after all. When Mana offered her hand, Shimo went to rub his cheek into the palm. Her gentle fingers tickled his fur, and he purred with satisfaction.

"Some fellows are easy to please," Momoyama said with a gruff laugh. "But he has a keen nose for a good person, so I trust his judge of character." Mana blushed softly at the compliment, bowing her head respectfully as she continued to make a gentle fuss of a grateful Shimo, who was having his back attended to with strokes from Uriko. He loved all the attention.

"We brought Shimo some snacks, too," Uriko said, retrieving her food bag with leftover fish. Shimo instantly turned his full attention to her as she presented the morsels to him. Needless to say, they were chomped down in seconds.

"If you'll excuse me, I have work to do," Momoyama said, taking her leave. Though, she hadn't gotten too far before turning back to them. "Give your sister my thanks for the cake."

"I will!" Uriko responded, and Momoyama left. The cat-girl turned to Mana. "I wonder what the others would think of that story. I don't really like the idea of meeting a ghost though."

"Who knows how true his story was," Mana pondered. "You hear so many tales about such things, but many are nothing more than stories to pass the time with. There is really nothing to worry about."

Uriko didn't seem so sure, but she psyched herself up, despite her uncertainty. "We can take on any ghost, right Shimo?" She asked the small cat, enthusiasm masking her nervousness.

Shimo didn't have much time or consideration for ghosts. Such things interfered with his eating and sleeping. He just licked his lips as the two girls continued to pet him, clearly without a care in the world.

* * *

Much of the afternoon was enjoyed in simple leisure. Long and Ryoho played an extensive game of Shogi with Kenji as a keen spectator, watching their moves in silence. Xion continued to stay out of the way, with Alice popping in on him every so often to check he was okay and offer him tea. Yugo and Gado were glancing through some motorcycle magazines the former had brought with him, with the two discussing dream purchases and Gado having a trip down memory lane over his first experience with a motorcycle – which had actually ended up with him in hospital, as he was trying to impress a pretty girl with some dangerous stunts. But he recalled it was a broken arm worth having, especially as he earned himself a kiss from said girl.

Nagi and ShenLong decided to head back to the cabin to have some alone time, which meant one of many things that they neither confirmed nor denied. Jenny had a few magazines of her own to show off, in this case, beauty magazines. She was earnest in sharing her opinions on the latest fashions and make up with Alice between serving drinks and checking on Xion. Alice certainly liked keeping tabs on trends, but she didn't have the same expensive tastes Jenny had, so merely nodded agreeably at times where she felt she couldn't admit her dislike for some of the more eccentric fashion styles. It was amid these conversations that the salacious Bat made a sly comment insinuating Shina was scared of a little make up and needed a better moisturising regime. There was back and forth between the women, Jenny mostly making jibes in jest while Shina spat back an array of insults until the latter got fed up and stormed out in a huff. Poor Cronos, abandoned by his temporary bodyguard, didn't know what to do, and seemed determined to go after her, but Alice warned him off, advising him to leave her to blow off some steam for the time being. The rabbit decided to step in as his 'caretaker' and asked the young Prince if he would like to play cards again. Having enjoyed the previous games, he was more than happy to indulge.

Sometime later, Uriko and Mana returned, after deciding to take a longer walk around the grounds after leaving Shimo to lazily sleep off his treat. Uriko bounded in, breaking the peace with a loud greeting as she kicked off her shoes, rushing over to plonk herself next to Alice to recount to her the ghost story she had been told earlier. Mana, with much more decorum, went over to greet Ryoho, who had just finished his game, having defeated Long in a close contest; the tiger Zoanthrope was humble over the loss, satisfied with how the game had played out.

Alice was taken aback by what Uriko had relayed, touched by the sad outcome. "How terrible! Those poor lovers..."

"But it's scary, right?" Uriko said, clutching her sister's arm. "That there are ghosts around here that can scare people to death!"

"And you say, this story was told to you by some delivery driver?" Yugo asked sceptically, having overheard her retell the story. In fact, everyone had heard her as she'd been so obnoxiously loud.

"Yeah, so?" Uriko scowled at him. "You don't believe in ghosts?"

Yugo blew out a thoughtful breath and shrugged. "Well, I've seen all sorts of weird things in my life, so I wouldn't rule them out, but, y'know… can't say I trust some random guy's story."

"That's rude!" Uriko huffed.

"He did seem like his main intention was to draw a reaction from us," Mana said, settling to sit with Ryoho, helping him pack away his Shogi board. "In regards to the truth of the story? I would not like to speculate. Maybe he did hear it from a reliable source. Who knows, after all? Besides, there are many types of otherworldly spirits that exist in this realm and beyond, for whatever reason they chose to exist here."

"To think, that you'd be so sad that you couldn't leave until you found your love," Uriko pondered, the thought making her heart heavy. "And that you can kill people if they see your face."

"Maybe it's unintentional," Alice considered. "I mean, does it have to really be her doing? Maybe the people she'd scared had weak hearts?"

"You're not buying into it, are you?" Yugo asked Alice, clearly sceptical. "I think that guy was stringing Uriko along for a laugh."

"You heard what Mana said!" Uriko defended adamantly. "Spirits can visit the living for whatever reason."

"Yeah, I'm _not_ disputing that, I just don't believe these exact ghosts actually exists!" Yugo turned to Mana. "Was Momoyama there with you? What did she think?"

"From what I could tell, she seemed to think he was making it up," Mana said.

"See!" Yugo said with some satisfaction that his scepticism was well founded. "She's as straight-laced as they come; if she doesn't believe him, then it mustn't be true."

Uriko pouted. "But it seemed so real."

Alice laid a hand on her sister's shoulder. "It does sound like it could be. I've heard many similar stories before."

"I must admit, the subject is wondrous," Cronos commented with intrigue. "To think, that the dead manifest in such a way to return to our realm. What drives their purpose? Are they merely lost? Or do they have wicked intentions? Ghosts are always perceived as manifestations of evil in many myths. That cannot always be the case, can it?"

"No, it is not," Ryoho assured, clearing his throat. "Not all ghosts seek to cause misery. Sometimes it is merely the by-product of fearful humans who cannot comprehend such beings existing."

"Have you seen a ghost?" Alice directed to both Ryoho and Mana.

"Not as such," Mana answered. "The things we have encountered were somewhat of the same ilk, but they had never been alive to begin with." Alice was a little taken back by the response, her eyes widening. Mana merely smiled softly. "It is hard to explain. They were benign spirit-like beings that served as envoys between the different planes of existence. They help us to try and prevent other beings like the Unborn from returning to this planet."

"I see..." Alice trailed off, not sure if she wanted to pursue this conversation, thinking of Xion. Also, she wasn't quite sure she would understand if it was explained to her.

"If I were to meet a harmless ghost," Cronos cut in, clearly intrigued by the essence of the conversation, "I would hope it was one who may have been a friend or family member in life, so I could tell them the things I wish I could have said when they were alive."

"I think we all would like that," Alice agreed, nodding.

"I guess..." Yugo said, scratching the back of his head. He shared a look with Gado. He guessed they had the same thought. They'd probably both want to speak to his father, Yuji, again. There had been so much left unsaid from both men. As interesting a thought as it was, Gado in particular wasn't going to pay too much thought on such an unrealistic situation.

"I am not certain I would want to have such an encounter," Long input after a thoughtful silence. "Some things might be too painful to experience. That the sadness that surrounded those that departed would be too much to bear in this life."

"Yes, that certainly is a thought," Cronos said, somewhat deflated.

"All this talk of ghosts is rather miserable," Jenny cut in with a delicate sigh. "Rather, we should not chase the shadows of things that have been and gone, and instead, appreciate the living. Worry about death when it happens, and you can face whatever awaits you. In the meantime, I for one will be indulging in all the luxuries and pleasures of the living realm. And with that thought in mind, I'm going to pour myself another glass of wine."

"We can truly honour the dead by living well and bringing joy to those around us," Gado said, hoping to bring an end to such a morbid conversation. "Anyway, returning to the here and now, I was thinking that maybe later, that instead of Alice slaving over a hot stove, we could order takeout for everyone, so we can all enjoy a relaxed dinner."

"I don't mind cooking, honestly!" Alice said earnestly, not wanting anyone to be put out.

"I don't doubt that you do, but this is my treat," Gado assured her.

"We would not like to impose ourselves on you for too long and take advantage of your good will," Ryoho said. "We would not like to try and venture towards town again too late, as the weather has been unpredictable. We know of a ryokan with vacancies that is close to the train station. It would be suitably convenient for our travel tomorrow so we can begin our journey home."

"You know, you are more than welcome to stay here," Gado said. "I can drop you off at the station tomorrow morning. It will save you money and we can have the pleasure of your company further. That is, if you don't have anything else planned?"

"Oh, no, please!" Mana waved her little hands. "We wouldn't want to impose on you like that!"

"You wouldn't be imposing at all," Gado insisted, standing. "It would be my honour to host you. Kinoshita offered his good will to us, and we wish to share it. Please, consider the offer."

"Where will they sleep?" Yugo asked. "And will Momoyama be okay with that?"

"We don't want to cause any trouble," Ryoho responded uncertainly.

"Nonsense," Gado alleviated, and then he turned to Yugo. "We can find some futons, I'm sure."

"Well, it would be nice," Mana finally said, this time with a little more assurance. "This is a rare treat after all."

"Yes, it is," Ryoho agreed with a nod. "If you are happy for us to stay, as is Madame Momoyama, then we would graciously accept your offer."

"That's settled then," Gado said, lightly planting a fist against the palm of his other hand, a sort of affirming gesture. "Now, about that take out, I better check with Momoyama to see who delivers out this far."

* * *

Nagi lounged across ShenLong's lap as they watched a motocross race on the television, which had descended into a chaotic shamble, much to the latter's amusement. They had taken advantage of the empty cabin, just so they didn't have to concern over how loud they were in bed together – not that ShenLong would have cared if anyone else heard or not.

After a passionate tussle under the sheets, they'd foraged for food – inevitably making sandwiches with what supplies they found – and reclined in front of television, ShenLong's clear favourite vacation pastime. With sandwiches consumed, they just languished alone together with nothing but the sound of the bikes and emboldened commentary to fill the room.

In truth, as much as it was nice to see Ryoho and Mana again in such an informal way, Nagi was glad to get out of the other cabin. Being anywhere near Xion, even with a door closed between them, caused her to feel stifled and on edge. That and she didn't feel particularly comfortable in the cramped room with a group of people who she felt sometimes like an outsider to. She didn't think they'd mind all that much if they slipped away, particularly ShenLong, who was not everyone's favourite person. She could get riled up all she wanted about Xion and the troubles he caused, but she was sure someone would mention ShenLong's chequered past in a heartbeat just to shoot her down.

She was thankful she and ShenLong left, just so he could help her blow off some steam. It was a great chance to just let go all her inhibitions and cares. No words needed, no thinking, no consideration of external factors. It was just them intensely focused on one and other, surrounding themselves with tantalising desire.

Having indulged in much needed wanton passion, she was now laid out relaxed, physically spent. Every now and then he stroked her hair, showing idle affection. She said nothing, instead, just smiled to herself as she watched the TV.

Unfortunately for them, their alone time didn't last for much longer after that, as with the next on-screen rider tumbling off his bike like a ragdoll, the door to the cabin was thrown open and Shina stomped in, clearly in a foul mood. They could almost feel the anger seeping off her in waves. Nagi cast ShenLong a serious look, telling him not to agitate her in any way, as she wasn't paying for the damages to the cabin if things kicked off.

"Fucking sick of that dirty bitch talking down to me," Shina snarled out loud, kicking the door closed behind her. "I swear to God I'll rip her fucking breasts off one of these days and shove them down her throat until she chokes!"

"Woah…" Nagi muttered, eyes widening at the intensity of her threat. "A little bit extreme, maybe?"

"I take it you're talking about Jenny?" ShenLong asked, seeing the other woman's burning glare turn on him at the mere mention of the woman's name. He nodded to himself, assured. "In fairness, I would pay to see you do that, just to see the silicone plop out of those babies."

Nagi snorted out a laugh. "You really think they're fake?"

He shrugged. "God knows, but her personality is pretty plastic, so I wouldn't be surprised if her breasts were as well."

Shina's temper was somewhat smouldered by the humorous jibes aimed at her rival, which she was more than happy to latch onto. "She's Chinese sweatshop fake. Nothing more than a bargain bucket broad, imagining herself as a socialite when she's nothing more than a tramp." She cracked her knuckles, still itching to get her hands on her. "You're both welcome to front row seats when I annihilate that slut."

ShenLong smirked. "I'll hold you to it."

"Where's Cronos?" Nagi asked, having just noticed the young man wasn't with her like he usually was. "Aren't you supposed to be his bodyguard?"

Shina huffed out a sigh, dumping herself in one of the chairs. She had to hold her hands up on that one. It was a bit of an oversight on her part when she stormed off that she'd left him behind; not that it mattered too much, as he was in good company that both of them trusted. "He's in safe hands," she finally said. "I just need five minutes to take a breather or I'll fucking do something I regret." She glanced over at her languishing companions, sinking lower into her seat tiredly. "Sorry to gate-crash your alone time, by the way. Not easy to get peace and quiet out here with so many of us around. Though, I hope you've already done the sex part because I really don't need to hear that on top of everything else."

"With fuck all to do around here, I'm surprised you didn't indulge on the audio porn we had on offer," ShenLong joked luridly. Nagi elbowed him lightly in the ribs. He merely laughed in response. "Really, it was fucking golden… almost in the literal sense."

Shina buried her face in her hand. ShenLong was just so damned annoying, but it was a strangely nice distraction from being abjectly pissed off over Jenny, so she didn't mind it so much, and allowed herself to simmer down over his disgusting conversation. Nagi was quietly scolding him aside, partly embarrassed by his candour over such stuff.

Shina still couldn't believe that these two of all people seemed to get on like a house on fire. But if they were happy with relationship, who was she to question it?

"I'm just going to pretend we're not having this conversation, and just enjoy the bikes," Shina said, watching as more riders went flying all over the place. "What the fuck is even going on?"

"That's the beauty of it. Nobody knows!" ShenLong said, amused by the action on-screen. "A load of amateurs testing out how gravity can fuck you over painfully instead of actually attempting to ride their bikes."

"I can guarantee you that the one who wins is probably going to be crawling over the finish line, clutching one of their wheels and some other broken limb," Nagi added in with morbid humour.

"Well, I think it's worth it to watch and see how much they suck for the rest of the race," Shina said, tossing her legs over the arm of the chair as she got comfortable to watch the television.

"You're more than welcome to stick it out with us," Nagi offered.

"Thanks, I think I will." She glanced at the other woman, glad to at least be in a more chilled out environment, which was a surprise with ShenLong around. She was quickly put at ease. "You know," she said, clearly aiming her words at Nagi, "if you do need to vent about you-know-who at any point…"

ShenLong scowled at the leopard Zoanthrope. "Hey-"

"I meant Xion, you prick!" Shina glanced back at Nagi, who clearly stiffened up on the mention of his name. "Just if you ever need someone to lend an ear, or maybe just someone to spar with, just ask. I'm more than happy to help."

Nagi gave a nod. She didn't know Shina's true thoughts about Xion, and didn't really want to strike up that particular conversation, but she appreciated a little support in whatever way it was offered. "Thanks."

"No problem."

ShenLong rolled his eyes. "You girls and your bonding shit…" Nagi elbowed him again; this time, harder – the force enough to have him grunting with disapproval.

"Don't be a dick, ShenLong," Shina said tiredly, eyes turning back to the TV screen.

* * *

Uriko had only a limited attention span when it came to subjects of particular depth. She was an action girl, not a thinker. Certainly, she had opinions on subjects that were in her peripheral focus, things that particularly mattered to her and her family, but when it started garnering onto things that were a little outside her social remit, she tended to shut down and go into a happier place, whether it was because she didn't quite understand the core subject matter, or it touched on things she was particularly sensitive of. As such, when Kenji and Mana had drifted off their casual conversation about current events in Japan into more philosophical topics about social conformity and education, Uriko mentally and verbally ejected herself from the discussion and put on her headphones to listen to some tunes, filling her brain with sugary sweet pop music that sang about love and ambition in droves.

Aside, she was sick of thinking about ghosts, which had kept coming back into her brain, so it was a nice distraction to listen to someone sing heartily about their dream boy from an imaginary windowpane.

Between the pauses of each track, she could still catch snippets of conversation, with Kenji relating to Mana the many school projects and responsibilities he was undertaking. When the next track ended, she heard an exchange which pricked her ears.

"You take a lot on your shoulders," Mana said.

"As I'm sure you do as well," Kenji countered with a smile.

She shook her head. "Mine are expected duties. Yours… you take on a lot more than someone of your age."

"Funny to hear that come from someone younger than me," Kenji said with a slight laugh, before his face settled to something slightly more serious, his tone lowering, so not to let anyone else hear. "It helps me forgot sometimes… of things that have happened…"

Uriko discreetly pressed pause on her music player, keeping up the pretence of listening to music, all the while curious to Kenji's admission.

"I understand if you choose not to say," Mana said, clearly not wanting to cause any upset.

"Don't worry," he assured. "I've about come to terms with what I've lost, but no matter what I do, sometimes the nightmares come. I suppose a weaker person would have crumbled, not able to function because of having their mind tampered with. But I keep going, filling my life with meaning so I don't get sucked into the void of what might have been. I just don't want my mind to go back to those places, to Tyron, to ZLF… It's why I fight so hard for W.O.C. So nobody else has to go through what I had to."

Uriko quietly swallowed and turned her music back on. As aloof and cheery as she could be, even she was still haunted by what Tyron did, about her kidnap and isolation; such things would creep into her own nightmares sometimes. Despite what they did to her, she had not gone through as much as Kenji. She had been able to recover quickly from her ordeal for the most part, despite the changes that she would eventually discover had occurred to her beast form. She was able to go back to a regular life with routine and love. Kenji's brainwashing had left him like a robot, barely functional. He'd had to rebuild his own personality from the ground up, acclimatise into a society he'd never really experienced, create a new family with Yugo. And to go through the experience of brainwashing again, forced to do things so terrible that he almost wanted to take his own life. She couldn't believe he could candidly talk about such things after everything. But this was Mana after all he was talking to, someone who would never judge him. It just showed how far he had come in so few years.

She closed her eyes, listened to the hum of the music, letting her brain refocus on the nicer things. She decided later she would give Kenji a big hug. She wouldn't tell him the reason; she'd just smile and say he deserved one.

A short time later, Gado returned.

Alice stood from putting away some clean dishes in the lower cupboards, turning to him. "What did Madame Momoyama say?"

He smiled at her. "We won't be requiring futons." He turned to Ryoho, showing him a set of keys. "She's offered you a cabin to stay for free."

Ryoho was taken aback. "This is unexpected. What have we done to be given such a gift?"

"She seems to be in a good mood today. Possibly because of cake." Laughter reverberated around the room, with Yugo shouting out 'Nice one, Alice!' to the abashed Rabbit Zoanthrope. "Though, I think she may have had a slight ulterior motive."

"Oh?" Ryoho quizzed.

"I'm not sure what you'll think," Gado began to explain, "but Momoyama has a koi pond that she's not having much luck with. She'd usually not the superstitious type, but by her words, she thinks there is 'bad ju-ju' around it. She would appreciate at some point you might 'bless' her pond."

Uriko had caught the 'bad ju-ju' part and pulled off her headphones. "Like ghosts?!"

"Don't start on that again!" Yugo warned.

"I doubt it is ghosts, Uriko," Mana assured, not that Uriko looked all that convinced.

Ryoho laughed. "I suppose that is a fair exchange for her hospitality."

"Is Kinoshita going to be alright with that?" Yugo questioned.

"I doubt he'd care for one night with a few of the cabins going unbooked, especially when Ryoho and Mana are friends of ours. But Momoyama is going to keep it under her hat, just in case, not that she thinks they'll suddenly be inundated with people, not at this time of year anyway."

Mana moved to bow to Gado appreciatively. "Thank you so much. We are indebted to your kindness."

"Please don't thank me! It's all down to Momoyama. Anyway, let's go take your things to your cabin. You're in twelve. Oh, but before I forget," he said, reaching into his pocket to retrieve two duplicate menus, handing them to Alice. "That restaurant we ate at the other night delivers out this far."

"Oh, wonderful!" Alice exclaimed as she took the menus into her care. "We should let Shina and the others know."

"I'll go!" Uriko said, hopping up. "I can find more of my games at the same time."

"I will go over as well," Cronos said, standing also.

Gado, Ryoho and Mana left almost immediately to take their things to cabin twelve, shortly after which Uriko and Cronos, now having clad themselves in their boots and coats, made their way over to the other cabin. Before they left, Alice had handed one of the menus to Uriko to show the others, and to let her know what they had decided to order so they could sort it out in one go.

"Worried about Shina?" Uriko asked Cronos as they closed in on the other cabin.

"She was quite riled earlier. I just wanted to check she was alright."

Uriko smiled. It was almost strange to see them apart since the vacation began. And certainly, Cronos didn't seem to like being without her close by. She wasn't going to say, but something was definitely brewing when it came to the Prince and his supposed bodyguard.

Something caught the cat-girl's eye, a flutter of something in the trees just across the way. A skirt, long tendrils of hair... It seemed like a figure, but it was gone in a blink of an eye. Uriko paused mid-motion, feeling a cold chill run through her like icy water. There was just something off about what she'd seen – or what she thought she'd seen. That the way the light glanced off the figure was almost unnatural.

"Is something wrong, Uriko?" Cronos softly asked, having stopped also when he noticed her pull up abruptly, seemingly distracted.

"Oh, uh, it's nothing," she said, brushing it off, even though something didn't sit right with her. She quickly forced a smile on her face. "Come on, let's go in!" With one last look back, she led the way towards the door, vying to push aside any ridiculous notion that entered her head.

They entered the cabin to a surprisingly jovial atmosphere. Shina, Nagi and ShenLong seemed to be in good humour conversing about sports, glancing back every so often to the television, which seemed to be showing the end of a race – neither Uriko or Cronos could tell what it was. They were on bikes, that's all they could recognise.

They didn't initially break the stride of their conversation until Uriko came bounding over to softly bop Shina on the head in greeting.

"What's up, kitty-cat?" Shina asked before finding herself presented with a menu. "What have we got here?"

"We're going to order from that restaurant we went to the other night. They deliver out here!" She told her.

"Ah, okay! Well, I'm good for anything, really," Shina said, glancing over her options. "As long as I don't have to go back over there to eat, I'm all good."

"Same," Nagi input, sharing her sentiment.

"It would be very crowded to have us all over there eating again," Cronos said, moving across the room to sit in the only available seat. "We would be much more comfortable eating in our own cabins."

"Good point," Shina agreed.

"Just order me a truck load of beer," ShenLong half joked. He was usually the type to enjoy just snacks with a large accompaniment of alcohol.

"Make that two," Shina laughed. "I think I'll need it." She clucked her tongue, glancing at the selection. "Maybe we should just get one of the big platters or something to share. They've got ones that aren't just solely fish."

"I don't mind. Saves money as well," Nagi said with a satisfied nod.

"I would be willing to do that," Cronos said, to Shina's nod of acknowledgement.

"You think you and Kenji would be alright with that if we eat together as cabin buddies?" Nagi asked Uriko.

"I think so," she said ponderously. "I'll ask when I go back."

After pondering over the menu between them for a little while longer, they decided on the platter they wanted, plus some extra nibbles, and a lot of beer! Uriko made a scribble of a note of what they wanted, then went to grab her games before heading back over to the other cabin. Cronos decided to remain behind, to take a breather from socialising.

Nagi decided to go run herself a quick bath, while ShenLong chose to head out and stretch his legs for a while, noting there wasn't much good on the TV until the evening. Shina languidly went over to the kitchenette to boil water for the teapot, deciding a cup of tea sounded about right for the time being. She would indulge in copious amounts of beer later.

Cronos wandered over to where she was leaning on the counter, patiently awaiting the water to reach temperature.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, somewhat tentatively, not sure if her anger would flare up again.

Thankfully, she seemed to have calmed down significantly, and her response was even and considered. "I'm better. Definitely needed a different head space to chill out in. Nagi and ShenLong made for a good distraction, too. That and motocross mishaps were pretty entertaining."

He would take her word for that. "I would have come before now, but I was advised to give you some space. In truth, I would have probably not offered you the correct form of solace. I do sometimes struggle to offer the right words. But, so you know, I was strongly considering coming over before now. I do not like to see you upset."

"Cronos, seriously, don't worry," she assured. "I wasn't so much upset, just annoyed. Anyway, you were never a part of the issue, so I wasn't going to blame you for not rushing to my side. And, you were better off steering clear of me for a while. I wouldn't want to accidentally take anything out on you."

"As long as you are alright, that's all that matters," he said softly.

"I'll live to verbally abuse her another day. This's just how things are between me and her." The water began to boil and she straightened up. "But let's forget that. You want to join me in a cup of tea?"

"That would be splendid." And they said no more on the matter.

* * *

Both cabins eventually sorted out what they wanted collectively from the menus and ordered their food. Ryoho and Mana eventually re-joined Gado's entourage, ready participate in the meal once it arrived. Daylight began to fade into twilight outside, and with it came a light flurry of snow, the breeze also beginning to pick up.

Alice stared out the window, watching the flakes dance about on the invisible gusts in manic swirls. She was worried they may end up stuck in the heart of another blizzard.

"The weather didn't say it was going to be too bad," Yugo said as he approached behind her, almost reading her mind. "Just breezy."

"We'll probably feel it more being so high up," Alice said, bringing her arms around herself. "It'll be a cold night, that's for sure."

Yugo's arms carefully entwined themselves around her waist. "Well, you don't have to worry. I'll be here to keep you warm."

"Well that I can be glad for," She said softly, glancing at him lovingly, nestling her cheek in against his neck.

"It should be a clear day tomorrow," he said, enjoying the feel of her body relaxing against his. "Have you thought about what you'd like to do?"

"Oh, not really," she said thoughtfully. "I was just more worried that today would go well."

"Well, I think you can be satisfied on that front." He said, stroking her arm assuredly. "But I was thinking; how about we take a long drive out and stop by Asahiyama Zoo?"

"That does sound like a good plan. We could see if Uriko and Kenji want to join us?"

"Anything to keep his head out of his books! And your sister is bound to keep him distracted dragging him around to look at all her favourite animals."

"Did someone say my name?" Uriko asked, practically bounding over to them, making the pair jump.

"Jeez, don't do that!" Yugo shot at her, bemused. "What you doing skulking around listening in to people's conversations?"

Uriko stuck her tongue out at him. "My food senses were tingling, so I came over!"

Yugo was about to retort something when his ears pricked up at the sound of an approaching vehicle. He turned just in time to see an off-roader crawl to a stop on the road across from the cabin. The man who got out was clearly the proprietor of the restaurant. "Colour me impressed. Your senses are right on the money!"

"Yay! I'll go tell the others!" Uriko said, grabbing her shoes to go alert the other cabin to the arrival of food.

Yugo and Alice followed after her as she scampered off, grabbing their own shoes, before going to wait on the porch as Taro started unloading large food boxes from his car.

"Greetings again!" Taro hollered to the awaiting pair as he carried over the first heavy box, handing it over to Yugo. "I bring you precious sustenance!"

"We're looking forward to your food again," Alice said, watching him scamper back to collect another box.

"Then I hope we live up to your expectations for a second time!" When he brought around the second box, Long had stepped out, offering his assistance. Taro handed it over to him and went to retrieve the next.

Alice was surprised at how much they'd ordered in the end, but she supposed with many hungry mouths to feed, they weren't going to scrimp. Yugo returned in time for the third box, his stomach growling as he took in the aroma of delicious food waiting to be consumed. He grinned at Alice, who had also heard his stomach's vocal demand for food. Sher merely shook her head with a smile.

Taro's next trip back to his car was not to receive a box of food this time, but a large crate of beer bottles, which he struggled with a bit more than the food.

"Who wants this one?" Taro asked.

"I'll take care of that!" Came a voice approaching from the other cabin, which to no surprise belonged to ShenLong. He happily took the weight off of Taro's hands, carrying it away with a lot less of a struggle.

Shina and Uriko came wandering over, the former grinning at Taro. "Escaping the wife again, are we?"

"I wouldn't like to incriminate myself. You never know whose listening!" Taro said with a laugh, pretending to look nervously around him. "But I will say, I'd rather risk the icy roads than deal with another one of her fiery lectures."

"We won't say a word," Shina said with a wink.

Taro's last trip back to the car was collect a few bottles of wine, sake and iced tea, which Alice took from him to take inside, at which time Gado stepped out, money in hand.

"I've put in a little extra for your troubles," the Lion Zoanthrope said, handing over the notes.

"That's kind of you, thank you," Taro said, tucking away the money into his front pocket. He glanced about as the trees began to shake more wildly with the wind, a whistling sound cutting through the air. "Hmm, might be an unpredictable night. You folks better hunker down before it gets much worse."

"Our only plans are to enjoy your delicious food," Gado informed him.

"Sounds like a perfect evening." Taro said proudly, before his joy quickly faded into a sigh. "I better get back, in case I'm needed for more deliveries. Not that we don't have more drivers for that, but any excuse to get away when we're busy, busy, busy! She's especially prickly if I'm not pandering to her every whim on these types of nights. So, I might take a slow drive back… you know, because of that wind and that…"

Gado smirked. "Yes, the wind... But in all seriousness, please take care getting back."

"I can take a bit of wind, it's just women who scare me…" He drifted back to his car, half laughing in humour and half in honest nervousness. He took his sweet time leaving, quite happy to leisurely make his return than worry about the weather.

Alice was already sorting out the food for each cabin, switching and changing the parcels between the boxes efficiently. Shina hung back outside the door, not particularly wanting to go inside while Jenny was floating about looking all smug, eying up the wine predatorially.

In quick time the food was sorted and Alice closed up the other cabins box and pushed it towards Uriko. "There you go. Everything should be there."

"Okay!" Uriko lifted it up, straining a little at the weight as turned towards the door.

"Here, I'll do it," Shina said, quickly popping in to take the box from the girl and getting out before anything else could be said.

"I guess I'll just bring the drinks," Uriko said with a shrug, grabbing the bottles that were waiting for her on the counter before following out after the Leopard Zoanthrope. Gado closed the door behind them after stepping back inside.

Everyone amassed in a thankfully orderly manner to serve themselves what they wanted from the food covering both the island and side counters which Alice – with a little help – had set out around the kitchenette. Ryoho and Mana seemed a little tentative about taking too much, but Yugo had urged them to 'gorge to their hearts content', seeing as there was plenty and more for everyone to enjoy.

Alice prepared Xion's plate of food while she was doing her own, quickly heading over to his room to deliver his dinner. Even though she felt he'd spent enough time hiding out in his room, only making a brief appearance earlier to use the bathroom, he declined her offer of joining them. She was determined she would do something to make up for having to spend a day in isolation.

A cork popping made most of the group jump as Jenny prepared to pour herself a large class of red. She smiled at the others. "Now, my meal is perfect."

* * *

In the second cabin, everyone had set up to eat around the island counter, their platter of food and extras consolidated in the middle for everyone to pick at. ShenLong cracked open a few beers, passing one each to Shina and Nagi. Cronos expectantly declined the offer of beer and joined Kenji and Uriko in partaking in iced tea.

Much of the meal was enjoyed in idle chit-chat about food, discussing their favourite dishes, and particularly considering what local cuisine they were hoping to enjoy while they were there. Uriko was curious to try her first squid ink ice cream, much to Shina's revulsion at the thought. Kenji mentioned his interest in Jingisukan, a mutton-based dish also known as 'Genghis Khan', which seemed to be more to everyone's liking. Amid their discussion, they enjoyed the bounty of sashimi, gyoza, rice and tempura before them. Though, ShenLong had spent more of the meal enjoying beer after beer, with the platter as a secondary option.

"I don't know how you can glug down so much beer and stay in shape," Shina remarked, having noticed the empty bottles building up beside him.

ShenLong snorted. "I'm not scared to go at it hard to keep this prime physique. And it's good to have someone else who likes to go at it hard with you." His eyes slide over to glance at Nagi, the insinuation in his voice plain to hear, hammered home as he slipped a hand onto her thigh, giving it a firm squeeze.

"Is he always this classy with you over dinner?" Shina asked Nagi, who was tucking into a piece of salmon sashimi.

She swallowed, her expression deadpan. "He's at least let me eat this time before beginning the foreplay." She cast a brief glance at her beau before looking back at the food ahead of her. "We're not allowed back to at least three restaurants in our neighbourhood because of some of his choice interactions."

Kenji said nothing, not wanting to get involved in the conversation. Uriko made a face of disgust at ShenLong, which he clearly ignored. Cronos simply frowned, not sure what to make of it all. He couldn't quite tell if they were serious or joking. Shina just rolled her eyes, hardly surprised as she helped herself to another beer.

"What about you, your highness?" ShenLong smirked at Cronos. "How do you like to keep fit? You got any sparring partners you don't mind getting _rough_ with?"

"Don't answer that. It's a leading question," Shina said stiffly, glaring at ShenLong.

Cronos just smiled politely at ShenLong. "Now that would be giving away my secrets, would it not?"

ShenLong leaned back, slightly impressed. "Though I'm sure you would enjoy a little one on one with Miss Gado over here. And I can tell you from experience, she certainly plays rough."

A blush fluttered into Cronos's cheeks, and though he briefly glanced at his food to compose himself, he eventually returned a firm glance to the other man. "I will not say anything to denigrate my dearest friend by falling prey to your crude insinuations. You may like to drag the one you care about down with muddied conversation, but I will not do the same."

ShenLong scowled. "You be careful what you say…"

"Says you," Shina cut in. "You asked the question, he answered."

ShenLong would have protested, but Nagi called his attention and quickly shoved food into his mouth.

"Save the dirty talk for later," his beau said simply, going back to take more sashimi for herself.

"Nagi, I hope you did not think I was implying anything inappropriate about you?" Cronos said guiltily, thinking over what he had said previously.

"I wouldn't worry about it if you did. I stopped paying attention a while ago."

"Maybe we should tone it down in front of the kids," Shina advised, nodding towards the teenagers.

Uriko was somewhat affronted. "Hey, I'm no kid!" How many more times today was she going to be called a kid?

"You could have fooled us," ShenLong said, finally swallowing his food.

The sound of something clattering against the window made the group jump, turning to acknowledge that the wind was now howling with conviction, shaking the trees close by down to the core.

"Glad I'm not out in that," Nagi remarked.

"Yeah, same," Shina agreed.

Uriko especially seemed unnerved, the sound had really put her on edge. "I hope it doesn't get worse."

"I'll close the shutters, just for some reassurance," Kenji offered, getting up from his seat.

He'd barely done so when the lights suddenly cut out, plunging the room into darkness, all bar the glow of light coming from the log fire crackling away in the lounge. It took them a moment to adjust to the sudden darkness, the sun having set just a short time ago.

Uriko leapt off her stool, clearly freaked out. "What happened?!" She squeaked.

"Probably just a power cut," Shina said, hardly phased. "Hopefully a backup generator should kick in shortly."

Uriko wasn't a fan of the dark. She clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging into her palms, waiting with a tensed spine for the light to return, almost willing it in whispers to do so. She turned in time to see something slide by the window, a shadow of some sort. It was like a figure, hair whipping in the fierce gusts, silently moving within the howls of the wind.

She shrieked, jolting back, her sock-clad feet slipping on the smooth tiles, sending her falling backwards unceremoniously to the floor.

"Are you alright, Uriko?" Cronos asked, carefully sliding out his seat to offer her a hand, which she grabbed onto, shaking.

"A ghost! By the window!" She stammered, rubbing her sore back with one hand and stabbing the finger of her other towards the glass.

"Ghosts again… for fucks sake…" ShenLong sighed, almost face-palming.

Shina moved to look out of the window, moonlight lighting up the veranda clear enough to show that nobody was there. "You must be seeing things."

"I swear, there was someone there!"

"Calm down, Uriko," Kenji soothed, putting a hand on her shoulder. "It may have just been some stray branches blown by."

"I hope so," she quivered, thankful that Cronos offered her a gentle supportive hug.

"Why hasn't the backup generator come on?" Shina said impatiently, not liking how the situation was panning out.

"I hope they have one," Nagi muttered, though it would be silly for them not being this far out in the middle of nowhere.

But the minutes passed, and still, no light returned.


End file.
